


What happens in Europe...

by Just_a_fan37



Series: Invisible string [1]
Category: Little Women (2019), Little Women Series - Louisa May Alcott, Normal People (TV 2020)
Genre: F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, On-Again/Off-Again Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:34:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 48,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25299961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_a_fan37/pseuds/Just_a_fan37
Summary: “Remember when we were together my second year of college?”“Of course,” Laurie said, slightly blushing. “That was a perfect moment in my life, to be honest.”During a painting course in Paris, Amy and Laurie had an ephemeral love story. Months after breaking up, they reconnect in Florence, not having spoken about it to anyone.Modern AUBased/inspired by Normal People (HULU series&book) and Greta’s remark “they want to f**k”
Relationships: Friedrich Bhaer/Josephine March, Theodore Laurence & Josephine March, Theodore Laurence/Amy March
Series: Invisible string [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100489
Comments: 136
Kudos: 158





	1. Meeting at a cafe (October, 2012)

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, I’m back! I saw and read Normal people in like two days, months ago. I loved it so much, it inspired me to write this Modern AU about Amy and Laurie. I hope you enjoy this first chapter.  
> Although I love the 2019 interpretation that Amy had always been in love with Laurie, I realized that for this AU, I’m not following that.

**Florence, 2012**

The day was chilly and grey. And Amy was sitting on a table outside of the cafeteria checking her messages, Meg had sent another adorable video of her little ones. She smiled at the babies babbling. Aside from this meeting, her day had been mostly uneventful.

“Hey!” She heard a male voice calling her.  “I got stuck in traffic, sorry,” Laurie said a little breathless from running. 

“It’s alright. I ordered coffee for you,” Amy said as Laurie sat in front of her. “So, how you’ve been?”

“Working, first semester...so far so good.”

“You’re enjoying it.” She stated, noticing Laurie’s excited tone. She loved seeing him being determined and finally knowing what he wanted, at least in his career. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“I wish I could have as much faith in myself as you have for me.”

“Well, it’s easier to see it from the outside.” He nodded, knowing that she struggled with that sometimes, too.

“So, how’s life with a scholarship?”

“Great, it took a huge weight from my shoulders. I still can’t believe it.”

“Don’t tell me your self-doubt thoughts came back?”

_ I’ll never be a genius, so I’m giving up all of my foolish artistic hopes. _

“No, they’re gone for good. But it’s still quite incredible that I got the only scholarship the Institute gives.”

“It is pretty spectacular,” Laurie said smiling at her, she replied with a similar warm smile. “You were at home in the summer?”

“Yes, we missed you,” Amy said, careful to emphasize  _ we _ . “Daisy and Demi are the cutest babies.”

“Yeah, well, to be honest, I didn’t know if it was appropriate for me to go.” Amy threw a confused look at him. “I know we agreed on keeping what happened between us private...part of me thought that maybe you would talk eventually, seeing as you were always so close with your family.”

“I didn’t. We agreed on that. Plus, if I would have talked, I would have told you.” Amy reassured him. “Meg can’t keep the secret to save her life. And then Jo, Beth, and Marmee would know, and so does Father and your Grandfather…”

“I’d be exiled forever,” Laurie said laughing. Amy laughed too.

“I don’t think we did anything wrong, complicated yes, but nothing bad. But you know there’s normal bad, and there’s ‘March bad’” Amy responded, taking a sip of coffee. “I thought they’d judge me. You know they can be too preachy sometimes. Most of them expected you to end up with Jo.”

“I know. But it took a terrible date to realize how wrong we were.” Laurie replied to Amy’s last sentence. He also wanted to comfort her on her beliefs about her family’s judgment but decided to leave for later.

“Have you talked to her, Jo?”

“Yes, it’s hard to find an hour that fits for both, so we go with emails and WhatsApp, mainly.” Amy nodded moving the spoon for her cup.

“Of course.”

“You don’t speak to her?” Laurie asked.

“Oh not really. If she ever finds out about us, I’m pretty sure she’d break my nose.”

“It would have fixed it, though,” He said, earning an offended (but not really) expression from Amy. They both laughed. “Will you be home for Christmas?”

“I hope so. I have a lot of work to do. Now that I have no expenses for the school, I can save for a trip home. You?”

“I’ll try. Will you bring Chase with you?”

“God no!” Amy replied quickly and quite emphatically, making Laurie raise an eyebrow at her. “We’re far from that stage.”

“How is he?”

“Stressed, work, you know,” Amy said knowing Laurie had understood. “It would really help if you two were more civil around one another.”

“I’m always civil.”

“You intimidate him.”

“Me? He’s taller than me and bigger!”

“Yeah, but still. You were the guy who used to fuck his girlfriend.”

“Is that how you describe me to your friends: ‘the guy who fucked you’”

“No, of course not. But that’s the only thing about you that he really cares about. Anyway, I think he's been getting bored of me, lately.”

“Why would you believe that?”

“Because that’s what he told Flo.” Laurie widened his eyes. “I don’t know...he sometimes wants to try stuff that I don’t feel comfortable in trying…” Amy stopped pondering if Laurie were the best person to have this conversation with. Two years ago, it would have been easier. “I mean, we never did anything crazy or weird, right? Was it boring?”

“No!” He blurts out and even he surprised himself with how fast it came out. “No, I think we did everything we wanted.” He smirked.

“Be serious,” Amy said, smiling and kicking him lightly.

“I’m sorry. But, it’s true. We never did anything that made any of us uncomfortable.” 

“Exactly.” Amy paused for a moment. “It was different with you, though,” Amy said thoughtfully, remembering snippets of their time together. 

“Different how?”

_ “It’s too tight?” He asked her from behind. “No, it’s fine,” Amy said adjusting the tie covering her eyes, her breathing already heavy.  
_

“It's just, I didn’t have to worry about you taking full control. I knew you wouldn’t ask me to do anything that upset me or hurt me. I trusted you."  


“You don’t trust Chase?”

“He’s alright, I guess. Maybe I’m too traditional, but...”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. He should have known you better, honestly. You have no obligation to satisfy him.”

“Sometimes I wouldn’t be in the mood, and you never made a big fuss over it. Put on a movie or just go to sleep. With him, it’s like...it can get into an argument.”

“But he does stop, right?”

“Yes! Of course, he does.” Part of her was happy with how worried he said that. “It’s just I have to take care not to offend him.” She explained. “With you...it felt real, but Chase...I don’t know. It’s like I’m acting a part. Funny, because I was never the best actress in the plays.” Amy said. “So, what he’s not getting at home, he might want to go find it somewhere else.”

“He’s an idiot, then.” He said with a sympathetic smile. 

“You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?”

“Who do you think you’re speaking to?” He said and Amy smiled, knowing he could be totally trusted. 

“Alright then, let’s talk about something else. You have plans for tonight?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think? I started with this scene because that’s part of the trailer that made me want to watch the series. So I think it’s a good start point. 
> 
> Some moments are going to be inverted because of course Laurie is the rich one and Amy the one in need of scholarships and jobs. 
> 
> I rewrote this scene like three times since I was not sure whether to include the BDSM theme or not. It just doesn’t fit in these characters. Plus, I hate that. 
> 
> We start in the future, and the next chapters are going to go back a few years and move forward and beyond this scene. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it. I look forward to reading your comments.


	2. November, 2010

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a slow burn, so don't hate me if it takes a few chapters for them to get in a relationship.   
> In the meantime, enjoy it.

**Paris, France**

Amy woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing. It seemed that after four months of living in Paris, her sisters still couldn’t remember that there were 7 hours of difference between them. After much deliberation, she decided to get up. Jo sent photos from the Empire State’s view. Meanwhile, Meg was having a crisis with the wedding planning. They agreed to keep it small, but there were still many things to be done. Amy would have loved to help her with it all. Because she was going to be away until July, Meg and John decided to spend the year saving and planning. The budget was limited (very limited), so Amy was designing wedding invitations and decoration, Father was performing the ceremony in the garden, Beth and Laurie were performing the music, and Meg and Marmee were in charge of the dress. Regardless of the limitations, everyone was sure the wedding was going to be a success. Besides, the fact that they all were contributing to it made the event all the more special.

After dealing with that. Amy went to take a shower and get ready for school. One would think that after years of dreaming of studying art in Europe, she would attend her classes joyfully. But the truth was that she was disappointed. Last summer, Aunt March gifted her the opportunity of coming to Paris and studying a one-year course in the École des Beaux-Arts. She maintained a special relationship with her aunt since she stayed at her house during Beth’s illness years ago. The old lady was so pleased with her youngest grand-niece that she paid for her art classes in their hometown. However, last year, that relationship passed through a bump when Amy broke things off with Fred Vaughn. Aunt March held the boy in the highest regard and considered it a big mistake. But as Amy explained to her,  _ “we want different things. I’m sorry but I’m not ready to get married yet.” _ She thought her aunt was still mad at her. So this was a nice surprise. 

The rest of the family was grateful for this, except maybe for Jo. Being older than Amy and having helped her with the chores some time ago, she expected some kind of retribution. However, she lacked touch with her aunt, often criticizing her conservative views on women and appropriate behavior. But now her older sister had the Big Apple, for herself so she stopped complaining. Amy, for her part, enjoyed the old lady’s lessons on proper behavior as well as the painting classes she offered her. Meg had already settled for community college and seemed rather happy with her job as a primary school teacher, and Beth after much effort to overcome her shyness landed an audition for Berklee with the help of Mr. Laurence and got in with a scholarship. 

Amy knew since she was a child that art was her life. All around the house, one could find her sketches, watercolors, and a few paintings, even on the walls of her room. Any other parent would be scandalized at the showings of her talent on the white walls, but her parents were different. They would never block their daughters' artistic ambitions. She admired the great old Masters of past centuries and wondered if she ever could be one of them. Unfortunately, the world sees art as a hobby, always prioritizing the economy, politics, and business. Nonetheless, she did not desist and studied on her own techniques and the evolution of Western Art. Thanks to Aunt March she was able to refine her skills, and even then, she saw some classmates rebelling. They wanted to break the rules and paint however they pleased. Amy hated those ideas, always sticking to the rules to achieve perfection. She avoided contemporary art museums precisely for that. She claimed that the current trends were not for her, no matter how much she tried to understand them. And she would make her case to anyone who was willing to hear about the superiority of classical art.

Before Paris, she was attending Community College to get a degree in Art History while she figured out how she would achieve her dream. That was until Aunt March appeared with her wonderful generosity and changed Amy’s life more than she imagined. And so, for the first time in her life, she abandoned her hometown and crossed the ocean for Europe. The first days were horrible. She felt so lonely that she cried every day. That was until she found some friends in her student residence that suffer from the same homesickness. Together they managed to raise up and enjoy the city. 

Unfortunately, after months of classes, things weren’t going as she expected them to go. Her grades were alright, she was going to pass the subjects. Yet, she felt somewhat unsatisfied. She began with high spirits, excited to be there; but by and by the assignments became tiresome and frustrating. She kept hearing her teachers saying “express yourself”, but she expected them to help her. She hadn’t had a single class where she felt like she was in the right place. Most of her classmates received congratulatory and encouraging comments from the teachers. But when she looked at their works, she considered them too abstract, absurd, illogical, “contemporary” compositions. Meanwhile, she put all of her efforts in getting the proportions right, the lines straight, the shadows, the angle, everything as naturalistic as possible. Her professors looked at her progress but didn’t show excitement. She told herself that it was ok, that she was just beginning and that this was too huge of an opportunity to look at it with pessimism. Besides, it felt ungrateful of her to complain. So when her family called, she lied. Now there was the matter of going back home.

“Are you sure you’re going to be fine staying the holidays there?” Marmee asked, concerned. 

“Yes. I mean, you’re right. Two weeks is a very short time and tickets are expensive.” Amy said, trying to sound convincing. But inside she felt more homesick than before. If they weren’t that poor, they might be able to afford a trip like that, but they were not. “We’ll talk every day.” She said comforting her mother and herself. A small part of her was glad she wasn’t returning home. They would all ask about her experience and she wasn’t sure if she could lie to them up close. 

“You’ll stay awake to dine with us, and on New Years?”

“Of course,” Amy answered. 

“Alright, sweetheart. I have to go, but I love you and we all miss you so much.”

“I love you too, mom.” They said goodbye and the screen turned black. She breathed slowly with her eyes closed, repeating silently that the first year is the hardest. She will be okay. It wasn’t going to be all bad. Her cousin Florence, who studied in England, was going to visit her for a few days, before going to Monaco. Flo had invited her to go with her, but a couple of weeks later, she received an email from Theodore Laurence!

Growing up, Laurie and Amy were close. At first, Amy was just Jo’s little sister, who drove her crazy. However, it was the time when she stayed with Aunt March that truly transformed their relationship and had an honest beautiful friendship. He visited her every day to keep her company. With the passing of days, they discover they were very similar people, both of them with flaws such as vanity. Therefore, they resolved to be better persons. Knowing that the other was also struggling gave them a special connection, no one else had with each other. And the beauty of it was that they kept it private, like something only they would get to know about the other. This comradery kept them pushing themselves to improve, and for the most part, they succeeded.

It got even better when she reached her late teenage years. They would help and tease each other with their dating lives. Even flirt with each other innocently. He enjoyed his friends’ attempts to get Amy to be their girlfriend or at least give them a kiss, while ‘defending her honor’ before the boys. He was the first to know how much Fred and Amy liked each other and vouched for the Vaughn boy before her family. He was there for her when they broke up. Meanwhile, she teased him endlessly when he claimed to be in love with Sara Randall, but she was also supportive when his heart was broken more than once. And then again, when he was confused by his relationship with Jo. One date was enough for them to understand that they were best friends and nothing more. 

_ Guess who is coming to Paris next winter to spend the holidays with you?!  _ Wrote Laurie. After graduating, Mr. Laurence allowed him to take some time off before starting to work on the family business. So the boy planned to travel with his friends for a whole year all around Europe! 

* * *

It wasn’t that Laurie was lazy, it was just that he hadn’t found that thing that triggered his emotions. Or so he told himself to justify his sabbatical year. Of course, he forgot to actually look for that thing. When he was younger, he imagined himself as a pianist like his mother. But when his parents died and his grandfather took him, everything changed. Suddenly music became something forbidden and blameworthy. So he decided to follow Mr. Laurence's wishes to study Business and fill the void his father left. Regardless, the old man wasn’t blind. The prospect of Laurie running away as his son once did terrify him. So, once the boy graduated he gave him a break, hoping that would help their relationship. 

So Laurie embarked on a journey with a group of friends throughout Europe. They drink, flirt, have sex, eat and sleep. And...that’s basically it. After all, these were a group of young privileged men who didn’t have to worry about getting a job immediately. And having graduated with honors, Laurie thought he deserved a prize. And yet, he found himself missing Concord. So when Jo told him that Amy couldn’t come back to spend Christmas with them, he convinced his friends to spend the holidays in Paris. 

* * *

Three weeks later Laurie found himself wandering around the Le Jardin des Tuileries when a particular lady caught his attention. She had long blonde hair that fell on her back on waves from a half-braided ponytail. She was wearing a light-blue, full long-sleeved sweater-dress that covered half her thighs; black leggings and high boots completed the outfit and she looked...beautiful. It took him a couple of seconds, but it finally clicked. “Amy!” He shouted. He saw her looking around for whoever had called her name. 

“Oh my God! Laurie!” She ran to meet him excitedly with disregard for the people around. “Hi!” They hugged tightly. “You said you’d meet me at my dorm!”

“I went there in the morning. I couldn’t find you, one of your friends told me you’ve gone to class.” Laurie explained. 

“Oh shut, you’re right. I’m sorry. I thought you were arriving in the afternoon.”

“We took an earlier train and here you got me. I hope I’m not importuning something.”

“Of course not. I like coming here to sketch.” She said turning to her bag where her sketchbook was. They began walking around the park with her arms around his own, as it was their custom. “Where are your friends?”

“I left them at the hotel. They must be wandering around now, finding new flirts.”

“Ah, the usual,” Amy replied. Laurie and his friends had been posting photos from his trip and it was clear they were partying all over Europe. Amy wasn’t a fan of this, but she didn’t want to ruin his stay by scolding him. 

“Tell me about Paris. How are things going for you?”

“It’s great!” She lied. “At first it was horrible being all alone in a strange country. And sometimes I still get homesick, but it's getting better.”

“I know. Even when I’m used to traveling, leaving Concord is always difficult.” He confessed. Maybe it was because he hated boarding school before coming to the small town, but he was sure that it was because he missed the March family. “Ready for the party? I’m sorry you couldn’t be with your family.” 

“Thanks, but I get comfort in you being here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I debated a lot about where to begin this story. Because I have a lot of fun ideas of how Amy and Laurie’s relationship was before they began having feelings for each other. I’ll try to include them as flashbacks, instead. But let me know if you’ll be interested in a prequel in the form of one-shots.


	3. A month later (January, 2011)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for all the comments and support you have given to this story. This chapter is an adaptation of Lazy Laurence. I hope you enjoy it.

**Paris, France**

Laurie had told her he was staying a week but ended up being a month! His friends left a couple of days after the holidays. They wanted to go to warmer places, but they understood if he wanted to spend more time with Amy. Anyone could understand it after seeing them at the Christmas party and they couldn’t understand why he didn’t kiss her on New Year’s Eve. Contrary to expectations, they could be discrete and reserved their teasing for another moment. With them gone, he could dedicate all of his time to Amy, minus the time she attended classes. They went to the Louvre like 10 times since Amy had permission to sketch with her art student credential. She took him to visit cathedrals and talked endlessly about the architecture, history, and interior of the buildings. He was amazed by how much she knew about the saints and biblical stories represented in those sites.  _ It’s all those hours I spent reading the Bible to Aunt March,  _ she explained. And he in turn took her to dance and watch movies in the common area of her residence. They didn’t know it yet, but this experience would change their lives. Every day, they made discoveries and formed opinions about one another. However, not all of them were great. 

At first, Amy tried to contain herself, but four weeks were enough for her. Of course, she enjoyed spending time with him, but she also knew he should be working instead of being there. She was well aware that he had no urgency to get a job because of his wealthy background, but that was no excuse to be wasting one’s time. In any case, it made her all the madder, because he had the chance of working for his grandfather without going through all of the job-hunting processes. So one Sunday, while he accompanied her to sketch outdoors, she knew she had to say something.

“Laurie, when are you going back to your grandfather?” She asked as they sat under a tree.

“Very soon,” he answered lazily, laying on his back.

“You’ve said that a dozen times in the last month.” 

“Short answers save trouble.”

“He’s still in London, isn’t he?”

“He wanted to check something on the offices overseas.” 

“I’m sure he’ll like you to start working at the firm now that you’ve graduated. What are you waiting for?”

“I’d only plague if I go, better stay, and plague  _ you  _ a little longer. You can bear it, in fact, I think it agrees with you!” He answered in a sarcastic tone, but Amy didn't laugh. 

“What are you doing?”

“Watching lizards.” Amy rolled her eyes and took a deep breath after hearing his response. 

“I mean with your life. What do you want to do? If not working for your grandfather, then what?” Amy’s questions were many and frankly, he had no idea. So he resorted to his previous attitude. “I’ll have a smoke if you’ll let me.”

“I don’t. I hate the smell, you know that.” She replied annoyed. “Just stay like that. I’ll do a quick sketch of you so don’t move.” She instructed him and he obeyed. 

“You look dead.” She pointed out after a few minutes.

“Wish I was.”

“Don’t say that!” Amy said looking at him. Her expression changed from annoyed and angry to worried. “What the hell happened to you?”

“Amy, please,” He raised up to look at her, asking her to stop. “When can I see your works of art in galleries?” Laurie asked, trying to change the conversation.

“Never. I don’t think I’ll keep studying painting.” Amy said frankly. She lowered her head to look at the paper on her legs, because looking at him in the eyes saying that would hurt even more.

“Why?” He said, raising his head. That was not the Amy March he knew. That girl wanted nothing more than to be a famous painter and dedicate her whole life to art.

“I just feel like I’m failing. I see the works of my classmates and it’s so easy for them to go abstract and break rules, deconstruct reality...I can’t do that.”

“What are you talking about, Amy. You’ve only been here for six months! You have so much talent and energy!”

“Talent isn’t genius, and no amount of energy can make it so. I want to be great or nothing.” Amy said exhaling in frustration. “Seems a waste of time to keep pursuing something I’ll never excel.”

“I beg to disagree.”

“Well, you’re biased,” Amy said smiling at the attempt to comfort her.

“Who says you have to be like all the contemporary artists?”

“It’s what sells nowadays, hat people praise even if they don't understand it. The time to care for techniques and proportions has been long gone. And I don’t want to be a starving artist in a tiny apartment, or even worse staying at my parents’ house.”

“So what would be next. I know you have a plan B.”

“I can go back to Art History. Study the Masters, instead of trying to become one. I could be a college professor.”

“And you’d be happy?”

“I think I would.” Laurie didn’t seem convinced by this statement. “Plus, I can always keep sketching for myself.”

“That’s right. So when will I have my likeness finished?” Amy laughed at his question, believing he was joking. “I’m serious. I want my own Amy March! Please.” 

“Well, not if you keep moving.” She said and he quickly went back to his position, now that he succeeded in making her laugh. Silence captured the atmosphere, a tense silence. 

“Say it,” Laurie said with his eyes closed. Amy raised her face from the paper to look at him confused. “I can hear your mind working. Just say what you’re thinking.”

“I don’t want us to fight.”

“We won’t! I can’t get angry at you. It takes two flints to make a fire. You’re as cool as snow.”

“You don’t know what I can do. Snow can burn as much as fire and leave you blind if you look at it for a long time.” She replied. But after a while, she gave in and spoke. “Flo and I have a nickname for you. Lazy Laurence.”

“That’s not so bad. Thank you, ladies.”

“Can’t you take anything seriously? You’ve been wandering aimlessly throughout Europe for six months!”

“Come on! Give me a break! I just spent the last four years on something I didn’t even want to study in the first place.”

“So? That’s no excuse! Besides, it’s not like you spend all of those days buried in books. Are you really enjoying yourself here, wasting your time? All I hear about you is that you spend your days drinking, gambling, and sleeping with anything that moves! It makes me despise you! You...you were supposed to be so much more! And now...”

“Now what?”

“Now you look like the guys we used to hate. What does Jo say about this?”

“She’s too busy in New York.”

“Well, you can still find something you’re passionate about in your career. You graduated with honors. There must have been something there that’s worth it.”

“Grandfather made sure to keep me away from what mattered the most.” Now this made Amy calm down because she did know that Mr. Laurence had prevented his grandson from studying music or even playing the piano at home. 

“Listen, I know I have no right of talking to you like this. Had you really been like those guys you would have answered me back as I deserve it. It’s just so frustrating looking at you in such a state. And I know that if everyone at Concord sees you like this they would also worry. I’m sorry.” She said in a softer tone.

“You think they would despise me as you do?”

“You know my parents hate idleness,” Amy responded honestly. “Here,” she said, handing him the sketch. 

“It’s pretty good!” He gave his critique. 

“Look at this one.” She gave him another one, from a year before. It was him again but dressed in his graduation attire. He looked so proud, joyful, and promising. “I would hate it if one day you realize you’ve wasted your best years.” He gave him back both papers and got up. “It’s getting late.” He noted, and Amy quickly understood the meaning. He waited for her to collect her things and walked her back to her dorms. During that time, they didn’t speak a word. When they reached the entrance, she said, “you want to come up. We could watch a movie.”

“I don’t think so. I better go back to the hotel. I have something to do tomorrow morning.” Laurie said, making a big effort to appear cool.

“Ok, then, see you later.” She said although it sounded more like a question.

“Maybe. Bye, Amy.”

Amy remained in the same spot for a couple of minutes. She didn’t want to treat him like that, but sometimes though-love is necessary for a person to wake up. However, she couldn’t stop thinking if maybe she had gone too far. Laurie was a good guy, she was sure of it. He was just making many bad decisions at the moment. She went to sleep hoping she hadn’t ruined one of the best friendships she’s ever had. She looked at her phone on the Whatsapp group she had with her sisters while debating between telling them about Laurie or not. They knew, of course, that he spent the holidays there, but she kept quiet about the following three weeks. She didn’t know why exactly, maybe she was protecting him from endless sermons, but maybe she also wanted to keep some things to herself. Apart from today, those last weeks had been pretty great. Besides, if Laurie wanted them to know, he would tell them himself.

Meanwhile, Laurie walked back to his hotel with a mixture of anger and frustration.  _ Who did she think she was to talk to him like that?!  _ If there was one thing he hated was being told what to do, especially when it came from younger people. He certainly hated it when Jo tried to change him. And yet, knowing that she despised him pained him more than he was expecting. Amy was no saint, she had her fair share of mistakes, but she also made great efforts to remedy them and be a better person. Indeed, she earned this trip after being a model of kindness and good manners. He continued reflecting and finally reached his hotel. 

The next morning, he felt exhausted though not physically. So he threw himself into his bed and turned the tv on, changing channels one after another. Looking back to the past weeks, he realized that those were the first time in the last six months where he truly had fun. On Christmas Day, Amy and the other students who stayed at the residence prepared the food. They didn’t have turkey, because that would require one of them to actually know how to cook a proper Christmas dinner. But each one made a dish from their own country. Laurie and his friends brought the wine and together they spent the day. Afterward, Amy and Laurie waited for her family to call them. Everyone had gone to sleep by that time, so they stayed sitting on the floor of the hallway so as to not disturb the rest. They were also sleepy. It was 3 am, but who cared? Dinner had been special, but they all felt homesick. Laurie found himself smiling at the memory of Amy nodding off as she made her biggest effort not to fall asleep. However, her body betrayed her and for about fifteen minutes she dozed off, leaning her head on her shoulders. 

New Year’s had been another great moment. One of the French guys invited them to a small party nearby. They danced almost the whole night, a Colombian girl taught them to dance some salsa and had fun. The night progressed and the music changed from fast to slow, which didn’t bother them much. As a reflex, Laurie held Amy’s waist and she grabbed his hand while her other hand settled on his shoulder. Oh, and then the countdown. Why is it that people kiss when the clock turns 00:00?!! _It’s so much pressure!_ Laurie thought. His friends were another story, an hour before the time, they were already looking for candidates to kiss, yet none of them mentioned Amy. Anyway, when the time came, champagne was handed out, fireworks started and everyone was cheering. Amy and Laurie were standing next to each other, so they just kissed on the cheek and hugged friendly. And again, they got back to the residence in time to zoom with their loved ones in Concord. “You don’t have to leave the party so early. I know it’s kind of silly, but...” She said before leaving. “Missing your family is not silly, Amy. Come on, you can’t walk all by yourself at this hour and I miss them too.” He said helping Amy get into her coat. 

Finally, Laurie gave up the tv and turned it off, opened her laptop, and chatted with his friends. He didn’t tell Amy, but in mid-January, his friends had gone to Germany and Belgium because they got internships offers. He had called them traitors for abandoning the trip. But really he was a bit jealous that they knew what was next in their lives, and he felt as if he was left behind. Alone, he packed his things and booked a train ticket to Vienna. That city had once been his biggest dream. He could remember her mother teaching him how to play the piano and attending her concerts with his father. But as he told Amy, his grandfather had prohibited him from touching the piano. So that dream was basically gone. But still, he went for old times sake.

Oh, but before leaving, he needed to fix things with Amy. He walked around his room, he wanted to go back and apologize to Amy for being such a dumbass. But the prospect of her shutting the door in front of him prevented him from going. Besides, he remembered she was having a workshop nearly all day, and his train left that evening. 

The next morning Amy still felt mortified by the previous day’s event. She was in the middle of a break when her phone rang. It was a message and it was Laurie’s:

_ Hey Amy. I’m sorry about yesterday...I reacted badly...Anyway, I’m going to Vienna now, good luck with the rest of your course.  _

Amy relaxed upon reading the message. So he was leaving, but the message didn’t sound bitter. She knew they were going to be okay.

It was too early to accept it, but Amy’s words had had an effect on him. Now by himself, he was just a loser rich boy with no purpose in his life. So he turned to the cultural life of the city, mainly the music, and he attended as many operas as he could. He expected that to make him feel better. On the contrary, Amy’s words about genius came back. As a boy, he thought he could be a great composer like Mozart or Desplat. God knows he had tried to compose a few songs. But after hearing real masterpieces he knew he was never going to be at the same level as those guys. It hurt, it really did. What would their parents say? Would they be disappointed, especially his mom?  _ Actually they’d be more disappointed if you keep wasting time,  _ he told himself. If he was honest, for the last couple of weeks he had been craving for something to do, going around drinking and flirting weren’t as fun as before. He wanted to be useful. So after thinking all day, he called his grandfather. 

“Theodore, what a surprise!” The old man answered.

“Sorry, I know I should call more often.” He admitted, knowing he had only called during Christmas and New Year's as if it was an obligation.  


“Is everything alright?” He asked perceiving Laurie’s saddened tone.

“Yeah, I was just thinking that Malcolm and Joshua went to do internships, and maybe it’s time I do the same.” He could hear her grandfather raising his brows in surprise. For months he had been worried about his grandson’s future. That was the main reason why he had to go to London, he just wanted to be a little nearer to him. Hearing Laurie said that must have been a huge relief.

“Yes, of course. You want to come here, start getting familiar with the business?” Mr. Laurence energetically. 

“Thank you. I can take the train today.” His grandfather answered positively. He was anxious to know where this enthusiasm came from, but fearing all those questions would overwhelm Laurie, he waited. Now he was just grateful. 

Once Laurie ended the call with his grandfather, he felt better. It was the right thing to do, he knew that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're still in friends territory, but things are going to start moving forward from the next chapter on, I promise.   
> Btw, sneak peek, next chapter is inspired by Chapter 8 of the TV series (which reminds me so much to CMBYN).  
> I look forward to read your comments! :D


	4. Three months later (April 2011)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who else has a CMBYN fantasy? Amy sure as hell does and so do I. Enjoy :D

Amy had just arrived home after spending all day in the painting classroom trying to finish her partial delivery. Her neck hurt and her hand and eyes needed a rest. Luckily for her, she was almost done, and if she worked hard, she’ll be done before the Spring holidays started. Once again, she wasn’t going to be able to go back home, but this time she took it better since summer was nearer. She and Flo were talking about spending those two weeks together. As she put some pre-cooked food into the microwave, she checked her messages and smiled unconsciously. 

For the last couple of months, she and Laurie had been messaging each other quite often, even talking via Skype once a week. This was one of those times. 

_Hey, you’re free to talk?_ Texted Laurie. 

_Sure, just let me turn on my laptop._

“Hi!”

“Hi, how are you?”

“Good. If I concentrate, I can finish the project on time. What about you?”

“One more report and I’m done for the week.”

“Great,” Amy replied. She was so proud of how much Laurie had improved. He looked better, much more focused than before. “So, is there anything that you needed?”

“I wanted to show you this.” He said sharing his screen.

“What is this?” She said looking at the screen. 

“I kept thinking about what you said about dropping your major. Most art schools spent their days telling you to “express yourself” without the slightest care for techniques, but not everything is lost. I saw this documentary about a Russian school of art that still teaches like in the XVIII century did.” Amy looked at him puzzled. “Look,” he said. “It’s the Imperial Academy of Art in Saint Petersburg.” He pressed play to a 30-minute video. Amy watched the video attentively, while Laurie focused on the little rectangle that showed her face. She was definitely interested and smiled a few times, especially when they said they brought horses for the students to practice. Still, there was some consternation in her expression. When the video finished she exhaled loudly, closing her eyes and growing her head back to meet the wall.

“What do you think?” He asked as he stopped sharing the screen.

“I think...it’s amazing, truly.” Laurie smiled at Amy’s assessment. “But, I could never attend that school. Saint Petersburg is really far away and I don’t know a bit of Russian.”

“There’s a similar school in Italy, the St. Petersburg Art Academy in Florence. That’s closer, and you’ve always loved Italy. You have even started to learn the language, haven’t you? You could study in the city of the Renaissance, the Medici. I’ll send you the links so you can check it out.”

“It’s really fantastic, Laurie. And I thank you so much for taking the time to research this...” She said, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I mean, what would I tell Aunt March? She already paid for a year of tuition here. If I tell her that it was a waste of money, she will kill me. Plus, that school looks equally, maybe more expensive than this one.”

“She’s happy to pay for your education,” Laurie said.

“I can’t abuse her generosity like that.”

“I’ll tell you what, I was planning on staying the Spring holidays on my mother’s Italian villa, it’s in Tuscany, close to Florence. Why don’t you come, invite Flo, I’ll bring some friends and we’ll have a good time. We can go see the school one afternoon, and ask everything you want about it. You won’t even have to tell your Aunt that you’re looking at other options, just tell her you’re spending time with friends.” Laurie continued, seeing Amy not convinced. “Come on, it would be fun. I was going to invite you anyway, really.”

“You have a villa in Tuscany.” Amy said after another heavy exhalation, incredulously of how rich Laurie could get. 

“It was my Mother’s family’s. Now that I’m an adult and back in Europe, I thought I might as well enjoy what she left me.”

Amy bit the inside of her mouth as she looked at Laurie's face. She took a deep breath and decided to be brave. “Okay, I’ll tell Flo.”

“Awesome! At the very least, we’ll have fun in Italy.” Amy smiled back at him, while in her mind she added _yes, and maybe I’ll get my Call me by your name fantasy._

* * *

“Oh my god!” Flo stated as the two girls stood at the entrance of the villa. It was marked by two pillars on each side and a rustic pathway was visible. They walked until they reached the house. It wasn’t a mansion, but it was impressive. Amy looked around the landscape to take it all in. 

“Ladies!” They heard someone call them from above.

“Hey!” Amy replied at Malcolm who was poking through the window above. He and Laurie had become close friends. He disappeared and they could hear him running down the stairs. “Not bad, ha?”

“This place is amazing,” Flo replied, hugging him. Amy did the same to greet him.

“Well, come on in. You’re more than welcome.” He said as he did a courteous gesture to let them in. “Laurie is outside.” He told the girls, pointing at the kitchen exit. They all stepped out to find Laurie with Sean on the clothesline wrestling with some sheets. 

“Hey, there,” Amy said with a hand making shade for her face as she walked to meet Laurie. The boys adjusted the sheets and went to greet the girls. Laurie went straight to hug Amy. “It’s good to see you.” He told her to her ear. 

“Flo!” He went to hug her, although not as enthusiastically as Amy. “Thank you so much for inviting us,” Flo said. “My pleasure,” responded Laurie. 

Amy for her part went to meet Sean who, following European tradition, gave Amy a kiss on each cheek. Laurie saw that but didn’t feel jealousy, Sean never wasted a chance to kiss a girl. Honestly, he couldn’t blame him. 

Once the girls were settled in their respective rooms, they took turns to shower. After hours of traveling on a train with the Mediterranean heat, they were sticky, even smelly. Amy got changed into an off white, loose dress and a pair of wedge heeled espadrilles and her long hair pulled into a ponytail. They went down to the kitchen where the boys were making drinks. “Ready?” Laurie asked as the girls entered the room, handing them glasses.

“Yes, thank you.” Amy said, drinking.

“So, any specific plans, anyone?” Malcolm asked looking around.

“Amy and I just need to go to Florence one of these days. It’s so close, we could go on a bike.”

“Sure,” Amy replied.

“Do they have any Turner’s painting in there, ‘cause she spent hours looking at them in the Louvre.” Flo intervened in an annoyed/playful tone.

“Nop, but we could also go to Rome, I think there is a fresco you had in your room.”

“Reni’s Aurora?!” Amy asked excitedly, almost spilling her drink. 

“Mhmm” Laurie responded. “We could all go one of these days, it’s only an hour and a half from here. You can spendall the time you want looking at it” The group agreed and went to decide what to eat, or better, what could they cook.

* * *

“Hey, girls.” Laurie and the boys approached the kitchen as the girls were preparing food. “I kind of feel uncomfortable with this mid-60s arrangement,” Malcolm said as the girls prepared the food while they waited.

“It’s alright,” Flo answered. “Besides, we’re also learning how to do this, so wait until you taste it to feel uncomfortable.” She joked, although they wouldn’t call themselves cook, they were definitely better than them. “So, which movie will it be?”

“You know my choice,” Laurie said.

“Not Cinema Paradiso, again!” Sean protested.

“It’s one of the greatest movies of all time, certainly one of the best Italian films in history and the soundtrack absolutely incredible,” Laurie argued. “Come on, we’re in Italy!” Amy looked at him smiling widely. Cinema Paradiso was Laurie’s favorite movie ever. They had watched it with him countless times and it was one of the greatest love stories ever. “Don’t tell me you came here to watch American films.”

“I’m all in for subtitles,” Amy said as support for Laurie. But it was three against two and so they ended up watching a romantic comedy. When the credits rolled, Malcolm patted Sean in the shoulders, nodding at the other couch where Amy and Laurie sat down. They had dozed off long ago. Amy’s head was on Laurie’s shoulder. Flo laughed and internally died as she saw the scene. Sean pulled his phone out and took a picture to capture the beautiful moment with which he planned to tease Laurie endlessly. Once that was done, they went to their rooms, leaving them to wake up on their own. 

The next morning, Amy and Laurie got ready to go to Florence. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” Amy asked to the rest of the group.

“No, we’re fine,” Sean said. “What do you need to do there anyway?”

“Laurie’s showing me a school.”

“School?” Florence asked.

“The St. Petersburg Art Academy,” Laurie explained.

“It’s nothing sure, but if this school is good, I thought I might try and get in,” Amy explained to Flo, as both of them went to the counter to leave the dishes from breakfast.

“You’re going to move here? To Florence?” Her cousin asked.

“I’m just looking. I mean, I lose nothing by just asking, right?”

“We’ll be here in time for dinner.” Laurie told them.

“Oh, so you're telling us to have food ready for you.” Malcolm joked, making them all laugh. Amy and Laurie went out to grab their bags before leaving. Their friends waved them goodbye from the living room.

“We all agree that Laurie only brought us here because he wanted Amy to come too.” Malcolm said after a few minutes of silence, in which they were all thinking the same.

“Yep”, “Sure.” The rest of the group said. “Of course, but I’m not going to complain,” Flo added.

“Usually Laurie is good with women, he’s not shy.” Sean said. 

“It’s because of their families,” Flo said. “They grew up together and for a long time, everyone thought that he was going to be with Jo. Amy and he were good friends but Jo was like the obvious choice.”

“Ouch. So their families won’t like it?”

“I don’t see why they shouldn’t. Jo and Laurie had like two dates a few years ago, but it took them nowhere. Jo and Amy have always had a complicated relationship. They love and they hate each other. Actually, they’re more similar than they would like to be, that’s why they are constantly fighting. You know, I think that’s why Laurie is so close to both. Plus her family is very morally driven, somewhat religious.”

* * *

“Stop it, Laurie,” Amy said as Laurie began playing on the bike. “You’re going to fall!” She told him when he dropped the handlebars. “Come on, try it.” Laurie invited her, laughing as he tried to maintain the equilibrium. They went the rest of the way laughing under a warm breezy day.

Laurie was right, the city was very near to the villa, about 30 min. They entered the city and tried to follow Google’s directions. This was the first time Amy came and she was overwhelmed by the beauty of it. Paris was a gorgeous city, but it was much busier. It made her long for the small-town peace of Concord. 

They went through narrow streets to the left, to the right, and so on, Amy trusting that Laurie knew how to arrive. At last, they reached Via Maggio where three stone arches stood out. “We’re here.” Announced Laurie. Amy looked at the building, as she felt her stomach getting tighter. She breathed heavily to calm her nerves and they went through the left arch walking and pulling their bikes. They were greeted by an employee and asked about the admission center. The kind woman directed them to the office in charge. Amy let Laurie manage the conversation since his Italian was his second tongue.

“Buongiorno,” Laurie said approaching the reception. “Mi chiamo Laurie Laurence, questa è la mia amica Amy March. Siamo dagli Stati Uniti. Lei vorrebbe chiedere informazione sull’Accademia.”

_Good day, My name is Laurie Laurence, this is my friend Amy March. We are from the States. She would want to ask for information about the Academy._

“Certamente,” the lady said. 

“Potrebbe parlare in inglese, sarebbe meglio per lei.”

“Let me call one of the employees for you.” The secretary said leaving them. “Please, sit.”

“Thanks, I’m still not very well at speaking it.” Amy said. She had understood what they said. She was good at listening and reading it. But speaking and writing were still weak. 

“One year here and you’ll be a crack at it.” He said as they went and sat in the chairs displayed there.

A couple of minutes later, the secretary came back with another lady. “Good day, I’m Michaela Rostov. They tell me you’re interested in the Academy,” she said looking at Amy. She had a strange accent, definitely Italian but mixed with another, possibly Russian judging by her last name.

“Yes, I just learned about it. And I thought I could take a look at it.”

“Why don’t we talk while we walk around,” she suggested. “If you want, you can come too.” he told Laurie and he followed them. 

“Have you ever been to an art school before?” 

“I’m in the middle of a course in Paris, at the École des Beaux-Arts.” She said, and the lady nodded. “Previously, I took art courses in my hometown, in Concord, Massachusetts.”

“Ok, why don’t you tell me what drew you to this school?”

“Well, as I said, I’m studying right now in Paris but I don’t know...somehow it wasn’t what I expected. I grew up admiring the Greek figures, the Renaissance Masters, and the classical canons, studying anatomy and proportions, copying from sculptures. And I thought I would learn more of that in Paris, but I didn’t. My friend Laurie told me about this school that seems to go more to the path I am looking for.”

The lady laughed at that. “You know, you’re not the first student that comes to us with the same complaint.”

“Really?”

“Today’s art schools are much different from those of a hundred years ago. The Masters would go crazy when seeing that today’s students have no theory behind them. They keep repeating you to ‘express yourself’ without giving any guidance. You have no idea of how many young graduates had come asking for drawing classes because they never learned anatomy, they have no idea how to draw a human figure, not even still lifes. Amy listened as the woman explained, completely identified with her speech. “This is one of the last art schools that teach art, it really teaches you to draw following the Russian tradition. Here you would learn from the best teachers, both from Italy and Russia. You’ll get clear instructions and lessons to improve your skills and you’ll have priceless opportunities to get inspired by the Masters in the city. And we also give all our foreign students Italian classes, and some even go for Russian” She said as she took them around the gallery, where they exhibit the best works of the students. Amy looked around admiring the works, Yes! This was what she was looking for. 

“How is your admission process?” Amy asked as they walked back to the offices.

“Aspirants have to send a portfolio, it doesn't matter the quantity, just that they are your best works. They are evaluated by the professors and they decide whether you get in or not. You also have to fill this form” She said, pulling a folder from a file cabinet, and showing them the way back to the lobby to sit down. “Send us a scanned copy of it. If you get in, you’ll receive a confirmation email after which we require a 30% deposit of a course’s tuition fee in 10 bank days. That way, we can guarantee your place in the course and proceed with the application for a student visa. You said you’re from the States...Massachusetts?” Amy nodded, “There’s a consulate in Boston. You also have to send us a scan-copy of a Confirmatory deposit payment receipt to this address,” she said pointing to the email address on the papers.

“Is there a deadline?”

“Technically, no. But it would be much better if we have your application a month before the courses begin, at least. Sometimes the visa can take longer than expected.” Amy took a moment to look at the papers, trying to take it all in. Yes, it was amazing, but it will definitely be expensive. 

“And, is there any kind of financial help?”

“Yes, our most talented students receive a 20% discount for the second, third, and fourth year. And we also consider large families and people with disabilities with a 30% discount.” The woman said. “There’s also the possibility of earning a 100% grand in your studies from the second year on for the most promising students granted by the Repin Academic Institute of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. It comes with accommodation and food expenditures and art materials.” Amy's eyes illuminated at the thought of winning that scholarship. “We don’t have a housing service, but we can orient you on websites and prices to find a place. You’ll also need a sojourn permit and renew it yearly. I know it sounds a lot, but it’s worth it. There’s nowhere else in Europe where you’ll find the quality of our academy.” The reunion finished with the lady handing her more booklets with information about all that they discussed. She accompanied them to the exit and wished them good luck. 

Amy and Laurie thanked her and went to retrieve their bikes. “So, what do you think?” Laurie said as he led them along the street. “That it’s too good to be true,” Amy said sincerely. “Did you see those drawings? God! I’ve been waiting for something like that all this year. Where are we going?” She asked as they rode along the Ponte Santa Trinita to cross the Arno. “You’ll see.” He said mysteriously. Amy was about to ask for more information when she got distracted by the Salvatore Ferragamo store, and the museum. But that was not all. Amy made a drastic stop when she saw the facade of the Strozzi Palace. Laurie heard the bike and stopped. “We can pass later, come,” Laurie said, pulling her bike for her to move. She tried to protest, but in the end, she followed him. “There’s another place that is going to take your breath away.” He said increasing the speed, forcing her to do the same. What other places could be more spectacular than that one! She didn’t have time to list many of them when they reached the end of Via de Cerretani. Laurie stopped, looking at her reaction.

“Oh my God!” Amy said. Laurie was right. There was definitely another place that was going to leave her speechless. They left their bike on a bike rack nearby and walked towards the huge masterpiece. Amy had never seen anything like it. The facade was gorgeous and adorned in white and green and sculptures. She had seen this facade countless times in her courses and books, but witness it was another experience completely overwhelming. “Can we get in?”

“I bought the tickets a month ago,” Laurie confessed.

“You mean before you even invited me and I said 'yes'?”

“Do you know Florence is one of the most visited cities? I wanted to make sure that the one day we’re here, we could see this. Thankfully you chose the right clothes, or else the surprise would have been ruined.” He said, taking the opportunity to look at her. It turns out there is a dress code to enter one of the greatest churches of all time. Amy was wearing a light green button-down dress, short-sleeved that reached her knees with her wedge-heeled espadrilles.

“So this is why you insisted on coming today, ha?”

“Consider it a birthday gift in advance.” He said as they entered the holy place. 

“Wha...I’m going to have to buy a car!” She joked on how to give him something as valuable as this. If she thought the facade was amazing, the interior was even more extraordinary. In the next couple of hours, Amy gave him a real class of Art History. She explained to him all of the paintings, the ceiling, the history, she knew it all. “I knew we wouldn’t need a guide,” he commented at some point. 

Amy looked at the hour as they walked out of the Cathedral. “It’s almost dinner.”

“Yeah, museums are about to close, anyway,” Laurie said. “You want some ice cream before going back?”Amy nodded and went to a store to buy them. After, they sat down at a piazza, where very few people walked by. 

Amy savored the ice cream as she leaned against the fountain in the center of the piazza where they sat. “This is perfect,” Amy commented and Laurie was not sure if she meant the ice cream or being with him.

“Florence is quite something,”

“I feel like everything changed, since Paris.” Said Amy. 

“What do you mean?”

“It’s so real, foreign cities are real, the great masterpieces, spending a week in a villa in Tuscany...eating ice cream in an Italian piazza with you. It’s money, though. Isn’t it?” Laurie looked confused at Amy. “The great engine of the world. The thing that makes everything real.” 

“Yeah,” Laurie said, trying to come up with a better answer.

“Aunt March changed my life.”

“You deserve it. She always had a soft spot for you,” he said, remembering how Amy spent months in Plumfield because Beth was ill. And how he went to visit her every day. At that time, he noticed that the old lady was kind and loving, even if she didn’t appear to be so.

Later at night, Flo and Amy were watching TV as the boys cleaned the table and washed the dishes. “How was Florence?” Flo asked with a smirk on her face which didn’t go unnoticed by her cousin.

“I don’t know why you have that grin on your face?”

“Oh, nothing, just that you came back very smiley. I was wondering if you went to see more than just the city.”

“Stop it, I’m serious!” Amy said turning at the kitchen where the boys were laughing, checking if they could listen to them. “You and your dirty mind.” Flo laughed at that last sentence. 

“Alright, I’ll stop. But really, how was it?”

“It was beautiful, that city is extraordinary. The school is everything I ever wanted. I can't believe I never heard of it before."

"Are you applying?" Amy nodded at the question.

"You think Aunt March would want to help me?" Amy asked and Flo reassured her that she would.

"So, that's all you did?"

"Laurie got tickets for the Duomo.”

“You went to the Duomo without me!” Flo said, exaggerating her offense. She was studying architecture, so the prospect of visiting one of the most important cathedrals in the world 

“You said you didn’t want to go! Besides, I didn’t know about it, Laurie got the tickets weeks ago.” Flo looked at her suspiciously before deciding to forgive her. Because it was Amy, and because she deserved to spend a day alone with Laurie. She was so smitten by the Laurence boy, everyone could see it but them. But she also understood if she wanted to take things slowly. After Fred, Amy didn’t have much luck in getting a good boyfriend. But maybe Laurie could turn things around, even if it took him another few months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the information about the school appears on its web page. The 100% scholarship doesn't exist, but I'm taking artistic liberties to make it like in Normal People. Also, I don't know if they also give Russian classes.  
> Here is the link for the video Laurie supposedly watched about the Russian school:  
> https://painting.tube/art-of-gold-painting-sculpture-and-romance-inside-russias-most-famous-classical-art-academy/
> 
> Since I saw the 2019 movie, I thought Amy would be super happy in that school. Basically, that was my main motivation to write a Modern AU, to have Amy attend this school. 
> 
> Oh, and btw, the Reni fresco that they mentioned is this one: https://justanavengersfan.tumblr.com/post/625390415024095232/the-first-image-is-a-guido-renis-fresco-made-in
> 
> I hope you liked it and I look forward to read your comments


	5. Two months later (June, 2011)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding, an email and an almost-kiss!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly, this is the longest chapter I've ever written for any of my stories. So, enjoy!

**Concord, Massachusetts**

Once the academic year ended, all of Amy's friends were going back to their respective countries, most of them in Europe. Many of them weren't going back to the residence next year. Some had already finished their courses while others were just there as a one-year exchange. So, they decided to take a week to travel to Berlin as a group. As it was Amy's custom, she wanted to go to the museums. Her friends already knew this so they all visited the Pergamon Museum. Amy stood there admiring the Ancient Greek works of art. 

"I'll stay here for a while, you guys can go somewhere else in the meantime," she suggested. Of course, she wanted to sketch it. She thought, if this is good enough, she'll include it in her portfolio for the Academy. She didn't want to put all her hopes in it, but she couldn't deny that the prospect of studying there made her feel so happy and excited. And she couldn't thank anyone but Laurie for helping her find that school. The thought of Laurie made her smile. After a couple of months without seeing him, physically, they were going to be at Meg's wedding and the rest of the summer.

Amy flew back to the States only two weeks prior to Meg’s wedding. The youngest March sister got a warm reception, as she and her sisters went back to Orchard house to celebrate the marriage. Jo couldn’t stop talking about New York and how it was everything she expected. Beth was amazed at the talented musicians she had met. Being on her own had been a challenge, luckily she found a group of friends that accepted her and helped her with her shyness.  Now Amy had to make sure everything was in order. She had commented to her parents about the school and they were all forward with the idea. Asking favors to Aunt March wasn't their favorite thing to do, but they were able to let go of their pride for Amy. The Academy hadn’t sent any mail yet, and as Marmee said, there's no point in stressing over it. Either she got in or not. Until an email arrived she needed something to distract her. So Meg’s wedding proved to be perfect. 

Two days before the wedding, Jo woke up to the knock of the door. “Coming,” she said, rubbing her eyes, walking on her pajamas. “Christopher Columbus!”

“Did you miss me?” Laurie said hugging his best friend. 

“Why didn't you tell me you were coming back so early?” She said pushing him inside.

“So early? Jo, it's almost 10 am.”

“You know I work better at night.” She said pushing him inside.

“And what are you working on, now? If I may ask,” Laurie said as they sat in the living room. 

“You may not,” She said in a dignified manner that “offended” Laurie. “It’s still early stages, plus I am learning so much in New York that I'm constantly rewriting and adjusting.”

“Well, I can't wait to read it.” Laurie said. 

“How are you holding up?” Laurie asked her. As her best friend, he was well aware of how much this event pained her. 

“Ah, it's awful. I am happy for Meg, truly. But I can't stop feeling sad,” Jo confessed, knowing Laurie would understand. 

“It’ll get better, you’ll see.”

“How was Europe? Amy told us you were with her during winter break, and then in spring.”

“Yeah, it was good.” Laurie said. Should he confess his feelings to Jo? He had been debating on the idea for a while. In the end, he decided to keep it private, at least until he knew what Amy felt. 

“Did she bother you with all her preening?”

“Yes, but I like it,” he answered nervously. As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Did he just give himself out? But Jo seemed to be as oblivious to romantic gestures as she had always been. That is why they couldn't even hold hands on their dates. Although now that he thought about it, it was much better this way. “Where is she, by the way?”

“Uh, she's all neurotic! She wants to make sure that everything is perfect for the wedding, you know her. She took Beth to Flo’s to finish the flower arrangements.” He did know her. They spent the rest of the day together.

The day before the wedding, the family planned a special dinner. The Marches wanted one last dinner with their unmarried girls. Laurie and John went on to celebrate John’s last day as a ‘free’ man. They didn't do anything crazy, of course. John was very serious to even drink more than a couple of beers, but they had fun with a few friends. 

After the dinner, Jo got all nostalgic and transmitted the feeling to Meg, so the four sisters decided to spend the rest of the night together in the attic opening their chests full of their belongings. 

“Oh!” Beth exclaimed as she pulled a bunch of papers and held them high. “Do you remember this?” The three sisters kneeled next to her sister to examine the item. “The Pickwick Club!”

“I wrote this!” Jo pointed out. “Amy, your writing was atrocious!”

“Shut up, I was twelve. I got better at it, did I not?”

“It feels like ages ago,” Meg said. The girls continued reading the old stories. They found their customs from when they did plays in their living room. Marmee always advised them to keep their things safe, and now they thanked her for it. These objects were treasures.

“This is going to change everything,” Jo claimed in a melancholic tone after hours of bringing up memories. They were now sitting all in the old couch next to the window.

“What are you talking about?” Meg protested. “You live in New York, Amy will surely go to Florence, and Beth is in Boston, at least I'm staying in the town.”

“Yes, but it's still going to be so different. You’re not leaving for a few years, you're leaving, really leaving. Now when you talk about home, you’ll mean somewhere else.” Jo said hugging her sister tightly, as a tear fell from her eyes. 

“Oh, Jo. This is always going to be my home. I'm always going to be there for you.” Meg said caressing her sister's long hair. “Besides, one day you'll also find someone and leave, too.”

“Never,” Jo quickly said, pulling away. “I don't need a man, I've never had and never will. I'm perfectly able to forge my own path.”

“That's not why you need a man for,” Amy intervened with a grin on her face, earning a smack with a pillow. “What?, it's true. I also don't need a man to provide for me, but it's nice to have someone.” Amy said in a tone that made her sisters wonder if she might have found someone in Paris. 

“Whatever, I'm too focused on my writing to allow myself to get distracted by romance.”

“Well I want romance! And all that it comes with it, so can you please be happy for me.” Meg exclaimed and Jo compromised. 

The following day, the March house was in full revolution. The party was going to take place in the garden. Jo went to Laurie's for the flowers, while Amy, Beth, and Marmee helped Meg get in her dress. “Oh Meg, you look so beautiful, I don't want to touch you for fear of ruining you!” Amy said excitedly. 

“Please, do hug me,” Meg replied. “Marmee?” She said watching her mother facing the wall, hearing her sniff. 

“I'm sorry,” Marmee said, turning back at her daughters. Amy and Beth exited the room to give them space. “Jo is right, isn't she? Things are changing so much, so fast.” Beth said. “Yes, they are,” Amy said and they shared a hug too. 

Who knows what Marmee spoke with Meg before the wedding. They were wise words, for sure. Those that only mothers can give to their daughters on their wedding day. Beth, Amy and Jo were ready as maid of honors. Meg chose a light gray color for them to favor the three of them. And it worked! Jo wore her beautiful hair down, Beth got a low updo, and Amy opted for half and half. But without a doubt, the most beautiful was Meg. Her dress was simple. Marmee and she had worked on it for months, taking the design from one of Amy’s magazines. It was a silk muslin wedding dress with sleeves, with only the waist marked and no veil. 

The music started and the guests stood up. First came Jo and Scott, as maid of honor and best man. Although Meg would call all of them the same, Jo was the sister with whom she could talk the most due to her age. Actually, if you ask Amy she wouldn't mind at all, because that meant she was walking next to Laurie, and she was sure they were the most handsome couple. And lastly came Sallie with another friend of John. Beth said that she wanted to play during the ceremony because she felt more confident playing. So she stayed on the piano with her friend Amelia on the cello and together they harmonized the evening.

The ceremony took place at noon. They had few guests, only the most important people in their life. They built a flowered arch where the bride, groom, and pastor stood. 

Mr. March worked on his speech like never before. This was not the first wedding he had officiated, but it surely was the most special of them all. This was her daughter for God's sake! Usually, fathers walked down the aisle with the bride. But he had the opportunity of helping them understand the duty of marriage. And if he was being honest, add a little pressure to John for everything he was going to vow. In reality, he didn't have much to worry about. John had proved to be a worthy man. Mr. March only hoped the rest of her daughters would find someone like him. 

A scaffold was set as a dance floor, where the couple had their first dance. After that, the rest of the guests joined them. Laurie hadn't had much time with Amy, up until now. It was no secret that Amy and Laurie enjoyed dancing and going out more than anybody else in the family. Many times he would invite her to parties because Jo hated those reunions, and her youngest sister was more extroverted. So it wasn't going to be weird if he asked her to dance the first song and most of them. 

The music got slower and they got closer. Although nobody seemed to notice anything. “Have you heard from the Academy?” Amy shocked her head. “Don't worry, they will.”

“I don't want to get my hopes up.” She said. 

And even though Aunt March didn’t agree fully with the marriage, she attended the ceremony and couldn't stop a couple of tears from falling. At the end of the day, these girls were her family. “I hope you know what a treasure you just got.” She told John as she danced with him, surprising everyone. “I do, Aunt March. I do,” he answered. 

The party lasted till midnight when most of the guests had gone. Meg and John had left to enjoy their first night between whistles and cheers that made them blush like never before. Not that they haven’t done it before, but still. The elders had also gone to their rooms, leaving the three sisters and Laurie to themselves in the living room. Thanks to Marmee’s disapproval of alcohol, no one was too drunk, so they didn’t have to worry.

Days passed, Amy got a job as an art instructor for a couple of kids in the neighborhood, although she was basically their babysitter. The money was good, so she didn’t complain, but it definitely proved that she wasn’t ready to have children. She thought, if she would have said ‘yes’ to Fred, most probably, she would have been pregnant by now, or soon. Flo had seen him in London and he looked better. He had a girlfriend now, his age, same social class and from a family as traditional as his. He was happy for him, at least one of them had found the right person for them. 

Meanwhile, Laurie was enjoying some free time, but he was returning to work for his grandfather as soon as summer was over. Jo wanted to spend as much time as possible together since she was going to New York. His friends also decided to visit him for a few weeks. Surely by now, he and Amy would be a thing, right? No, they weren’t. Actually, they didn’t have as much time as they would have liked. They went to a couple of parties in town, nothing significant happened. Mainly because they were consciously avoiding each other, fearing that if they got closer, people would notice what was going on. 

One day in Mid-July, the family was enjoying a warm summer day, when they heard a scream coming out from the second floor. But it wasn't something to be afraid of, it was more like an excited scream. "Amy, what is it?" Marmee ran upstairs.

"I got in," Amy said incredulously at her luck. She turned her chair to look at her mother. "I got into the Academy of Florence," she went to meet her mom with tears in her eyes.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so proud of you. I knew it, I knew it!" Her mother hugged tightly her, also with tears falling from her eyes. "You earned it, honey." She said making the grip tighter as she realized that her youngest daughter would leave again, this time for four years. It was one of those moments when she was terribly proud of the women she had raised and how far they were all coming. And at the same time she wished she could freeze time and preserve them as little girls. She let Amy go with a kiss on her temple. "Come on," she said, dragging Amy downstairs by her side. Marmee quickly called Hannah to tell her the good news, and she reacted just as excited as her mother. "Well, this deserves a special meal." The mature woman who had been like a second mother commented. The next couple of hours, Marmee and Hannah made Amy's favorite to celebrate her accomplishments.

Amy watched the two older women going around the kitchen to see if they had everything. And she was certainly proud of herself, but felt an urgency to go to Laurie. Without him, she might have never learned about that school. He pushed her to go to Florence, she consulted him on which sketches look better. She knew he would be happy with the news. 

"I'll be right back," Amy announced. "I'm going to tell Laurie."

"Oh yes, tell them to come. I'll call Meg." Marmee said. 

Amy went running to the house across the street. A maid answered and told her Laurie was in his room. 

"Laurie!" She called him but received no answer. She allowed herself into his room to find him lying on his bed with his eyes closed and headphones on. She was unsure if he was sleeping, but who cared! 

"Hey," she said, removing his headphones. Laurie opened his eyes slowly and saw Amy standing in front of him. He quickly got up and stood in front of her. "Hi," he said smiling at her. 

"I received an email today," she said with the biggest smile she ever had. Laurie observed her carefully and finally realized it. "Shut up," he said, wanting Amy to confirm his thoughts. 

"I got in!" 

"Oh my God!" He said hugging her as tight as he could, lifting her and laughing. "I knew it!" he said, just as her mother did. "Everyone seems to think so," Amy said still in the hug, "Because we all know how amazing you are." He said finally releasing her but keeping her close with his hands on her arms. They breathed heavily after their excitement, looking at each other. "Thank you," Amy said, holding his arms too. "I wouldn't have done it without you." He smiled at her sweetly and moved her hand to move a strand of her hair on the back of her ear. Suddenly, it was like time stopped. They leaned closer and closer until their lips were a millimeter apart, they just needed one more... 

"Laurie, what is going on?" They heard Mr. Laurence calling, walking towards the room. Thank god, it was almost closed, or he would have seen them. "What's with all the screams?" he said pushing the door. "Oh, Amy!" he said. By then they had taken a couple of steps apart, an appropriate distance. 

"Mr. Laurence, hi," Amy said, trying to appear fine. "I'm sorry." 

"I just heard voices, I thought Laurie was alone." 

"Amy got into the Academy of Florence," Laurie said proudly. 

"You did?! Well, congratulations, dear. I always knew you were going to reach far." 

"Marmee and Hannah are preparing dinner to celebrate. We would like you to be with us." 

"Of course," he said, taking her hands. "Laurie take a shower, please. This is an important occasion," He said playfully, making Amy laugh and Laurie appear offended. But it was true, he could look better, for her. After that Amy left the house and went to help her mother and call her sisters. Amy excused herself and left the house as fast as she could. Did that just happen, did she almost kiss Laurie! She wasn’t pushing him, right? No, he was also leaning and he closed his eyes. She stayed between both houses, thinking. No, she needed to tell Aunt March and call Flo.

"Goodness, you're all growing up so fast." Said Marmee as they all eat together. She had just let her eldest one go as a married woman, Jo was in New York, Beth was in Boston. And now Amy! Her voice was on the verge of cracking and Mr. March gently stroked his wife's hand. Amy was the happiest of them all. It felt good to be the reason for the celebration. For a long time, she felt as if she lived under Jo’s shadow. It took her time, years, to realize that if Jo always seemed to be one step ahead of her was just because she was older than her. Not because she was better. Each of them had their own things.  


The school had granted her a scholarship of 30% due to her economic situation and big family. And Aunt March had offered to pay for the rest. "There's another grant they offer that covers it fully. I'll apply to it for the second year," Amy commented to her Aunt as they walked to her uber after the dinner. 

"Don't worry, Amy. I'm happy to pay for it. On what else am I going to spend all that money on if it's not on my nieces?"   


"I don't want to abuse your kindness. Besides, it's time for me to sail my own ship." Amy said helping the lady get into the car. 

"You're not abusing anything," the lady said, "but I'm happy to hear you speak like that." She said closing the door and leaving. As the car faded, she stayed looking at the house in front of hers. Mr. Laurence had already gone to bed, but Laurie stayed. She wanted to talk to him, but there was no way they could have a moment alone in there. He went back there to find the young group laughing. Laurie saw her sitting next to Beth. They played a few games before everyone went to their rooms.

Amy said she was going to sleep, but she couldn’t. Damn it! Amy went from one side to the other, trying to fall asleep. She looked at Beth sleeping peacefully, and she envied her. Finally, she sat down. Her bed was next to the window, which showed Laurie’s house. Should she go back and sort this out? The light in his room was off. No, she would look crazy! There would be time for that later.

Laurie was able to sleep, but that didn’t mean he stopped thinking about Amy. Quite the contrary. Thankfully, he didn’t share a room with anyone and his grandfather’s room was on the other side of the floor. Or else he would have heard what he was dreaming. He didn’t know if real-Amy would like what he was doing, but dream-Amy couldn’t hold her moans. 

“Shit!” Laurie woke up feeling his hardness. “Shit, shit!” He kept cursing himself, sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked at the clock. His grandfather would wake up soon. This wasn’t the first time it happened to him. But, it somehow had a different meaning when the reason for it was no one else but Amy March. Man, he was going to need a cold, long shower. He couldn’t help it. If his grandfather hadn’t interrupted them, they would have kissed, maybe more. She looked so beautiful during dinner, with her blue skirt and white shirt with lace that let him see more skin. Plus, that smile really lit up the entire room. He had waited until he couldn’t keep his eyes open, expecting Jo and Beth to get tired before them. However, Jo, always a nocturne creature, still had energy for more. 

After breakfast, he went to visit his friends. He was able to act normally during breakfast, although, Laurie almost choked when Mr. Laurence mentioned Amy. He was just telling him how proud he was of all the Marches, and how kind they have been, including them. Laurie excused himself, saying he was meeting his friends. Mr. Laurence didn’t know what to think of Laurie’s behavior. Their relationship had always been complicated since he arrived, but their time in London had improved it. But still, he knew the March girls were very open to their parents and he longed for a similar dynamic between them. Now that Laurie was an adult and was willing to work, he treated him with much more respect. That is why he let him come back with him to rest during summer. 

Laurie met his friends at their apartment. He hoped his grandfather wouldn’t discover his secret. He would kill him for thinking of Amy in that way. 

"What's the matter?" Sean asked him, after half an hour of him appearing lost. 

"Umm..." Laurie took a moment to answer, unsure if he wanted his friends to know about his steamy dream with Amy. “I just didn’t sleep much. I had a weird dream.”

“What was it about?” 

"I... can't remember the details." Liar! He remembered exactly what he was doing. The images and sounds were fixed in his mind. 

"You know, dreams are fascinating. If you don't remember it, it probably is not something important or unpleasant," one of his friends replied.

"What happens if you remember it vividly?" Laurie asked, fearing the answer. 

"Means that you enjoyed it," his friend replied. Laurie looked down, not wanting his friends to discover his secret. He went straight to the bar and poured the first bottle he saw and drank it like it was water. His friends watched him surprised and saw right through him. 

"How was it?" They teased him. 

"How was what?" Laurie acted strange. 

"The girl you dreamed of?" All his friends were looking at Laurie now. 

"What are you talking about?" 

“Was it Amy?” The following minutes he suffered from his friends’ endless teasing. It was no secret Laurie was good with the ladies. How many parties had ended with him taking one girl to bed with him? He remembered having wet dreams for Kate Randal. Unfortunately, that ship never sailed. Now that he remembered, he had never had a real relationship that lasted longer than six months. Amy, however, was the kind of girl who liked commitment. Her relationship with Fred lasted a year. And although she didn’t always last that long with someone, being in a relationship with her was a serious thing. If he was being honest, that scared him. What if they get together, and they break up. And then things would get awkward and he would lose the March family, just like he lost his parents. 

The next couple of weeks, Amy got ready to travel once again, this time to Florence. There were a lot of things that she needed to order for the trip. Her father and Beth accompanied a few times to Boston to get her visa, while her sister took her around the city. It wasn't easy, but at last, she found a nice floor shared with an Italian girl who also studied at the Academy. The loft was big enough for the three of them. Her room was going to be significantly smaller than the one in Orchard, but she used to share it with Beth, so it was kind of the same. She talked with Carina a few times over zoom. She seemed a lovely girl, and Marmee insisted on meeting her to make sure she was a good person. Then she tried to buy her materials, although many of them could only be found there. So that left little room for Amy and Laurie to sort things out. 

Fortunately, Laurie offered to accompany her to the airport with her dad. The rest of the family had said their goodbyes at home.

"Take care, sweetheart." His dad said, holding his tears. "You know you can call us if you need anything, no matter the time difference." 

"I know, dad." 

"OK, I'm going to get the car. I'll see you at the entrance, Laurie." He said touching the boy's shoulder and looking at his daughter one last time. It is true, no matter how much they grow up, the youngest ones are always going to be babies in their parents' eyes. Laurie nodded and waited for Mr. March to disappear. 

"Are you ready?" Laurie asked and Amy nodded. They walked until they reached Security. They remained silent watching the other travelers passing by. 

"I think it's time," Amy said. They shared one last hug. "I'm gonna miss you," Amy said and she felt Laurie hugging her tighter. It took longer than usual for them to separate, each of them buried in each other's neck, trying to say as much as they could in one hug. At last, Amy pulled back, looking at the floor, or else Laurie would see her eyes getting redder. Laurie handed her her bag and cleared his throat. Maybe it was better this way, she was going to be in Europe for the next four years, at least. And he was going to work for his grandfather. Maybe it was better that nothing had started in the first place. "Alright," Amy said, taking a few steps away. She waved at him one last time and refused to look back.

Laurie made an excruciating effort not to cry when he met Mr. March in the car. However, it was clear that both of them were sad. “So, Laurie what plans do you have after summer?”

“I’ll keep working for grandfather,” Laurie said. “Maybe find a Masters degree.”

“That’s good, son.”

Laurie walked back home, feeling depressed. He wouldn’t see Amy until next summer. 

“Laurie, you’re back!” Mr. Laurence said, seeing Laurie in the library, thoughtful. Laurie entered silently, so he couldn’t know if he was back. Laurie only nodded, maintaining his melancholic expression, which didn’t go unnoticed by the old man.

“Thank you for accompanying Robert, it must be hard to let go of your daughter.”

“She’ll come back,” Laurie said, trying to comfort himself more than his grandfather. 

“It was good of you to help her.” He commented. “You two always had a special connection.”

“I just showed her the school, she did the rest,” Laurie replied, trying to ignore the last sentence. 

“I’ve been thinking… I’ll stay here in Concord. I don’t think I’m traveling much in the future. I’m too old. But you could keep doing your internship there.” Laurie’s face acquired a different color at this.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, you didn’t have much time working in London. And Paris did wonders for you last time. Maybe you could go back there.” Mr. Laurence said attentive of his grandson's reaction. Because he was sure it hadn’t been all of Paris but a certain blonde girl he encountered. “What do you say?”

“Yeah, it would be nice.” He said, trying not to sound very excited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you don't hate me too much, haha. 
> 
> I took the conversation about dreams from the TV show Scorpion. 
> 
> I'll look forward to your comments.


	6. Four months later (November, 2011)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very special Thanksgiving!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took so long to update, but it's finally here!

**Florence, Italy**

"Alright, class. Time's up. Remember your sketches have to be in my office by Sunday noon. There will not be an extension of the deadline, I don't care if they are made by Michelangelo himself." The professor said, looking at one of the young men in the group, suspiciously. The classroom was noisy, between laughs and the sound of things moving. 

"Hey, you want to sketch in the piazza," Carina said, approaching Amy's station.

"I'm missing one Master's copy." She said closing her bag and walking out of the room together. 

"Shut, so do I!" Carina said, stopping abruptly. "OK, how about we go to do that today, and tomorrow we'll go to the piazza." She suggested continuing walking. Amy nodded and looked down at her phone and smiled. 

"Laurie is arriving tonight," Amy commented. 

"Oh, right," Carina said. Amy surely had spoken about him multiple times. Her eyes shined every time she did it. Carina asked her once if he was her boyfriend, but Amy answered negatively. She had even met him via zoom, during one of the calls with Amy.    
Amy had been missing her family and the nearing of holidays didn't help. But when Laurie announced that he was visiting her for 4 days! Her mood improved greatly. She told Carina and a few friends and decided to make a Thanksgiving-ish dinner. Sean would also spend the date away in Europe, so he came along, even for only two days.    
  
Amy and Carina were riding back to their apartment. When a car honked from behind. "Ladies, Buona sera!" Sean said, rolling the window down. 

"Sean, hi!" Amy greeted him, lowering her head to see Laurie in the driver seat. "Hi, Laurie," Amy presented them to Carina and the boys agreed on going to their hotel to leave their things before visiting them. 

  
  
The next day, Laurie and Sean promised to help her make dinner since they were the Americans. Their friends started arriving with drinks. 

"So, this Thanksgiving... What is it?" Javier asked as he approached the kitchen, which was in front of the living room. 

"To be honest, I don't care much about the meaning of it. My father was always critical of the date. He said it was wrong to romanticize history in that way, even more, when it meant a genocide. But it's an excuse to spend time with family and friends." 

"Right," Carina knew how much Amy missed her family. She herself had to leave them in Milan to come here. But at least she was a train away. She couldn't imagine being so far away from them as Amy was.

"And this is what you eat?" 

"OK, don't judge. You're here with three people who never paid attention to how this dinner was made." Laurie answered. "We're just making things we know we can cook." 

"Marmee and Hannah made the perfect dinner. It was all so pretty and delicious. I never knew how they managed to do all that with a limited budget." 

"I know! They worked magic." Laurie said smiling at Amy. "Flo's not coming?"

"Her parents visited, so she's staying with them in Monaco." Amy explained. 

"Are you guys watching the American football game?" Marco asked. "They announced it, I think it starts at midnight." 

"Oh yes!" Sean reacted excitedly. "My team is playing!" 

"Laurie, what's your team?" Carina asked. 

"I don't know much about football," he answered.  


"You might as well ask him about quantic physics," Amy said. 

"Really?" Carina asked, surprised.

"I've never been interested in sports," Laurie said, tasting the cream. "I only did fencing when I was younger." He said casually, but everyone knew that was a sport for the rich. 

"And horse-riding," Amy added and Laurie nodded. "I don't think I've ever seen you wearing sneakers," Amy pointed out. 

"Amy has an obsession with horses. Does she really know how to ride?" 

"She's good. We used to go on rides together." 

"That sounds so romantic!" Carina said in a tone loud enough for everyone to hear. She quickly put her hands on her mouth, as Amy threw her a glance and said silently  _ I'm going to murder you _ , while Laurie turned to the kitchen to check on the food. 

“What was the name of the tree you and Jo used?" Laurie asked, trying to fix the conversation. 

"Helen tree. There was this fallen branch on our patio, and my older sister put an old saddle on it, tied a rope and we imagined it was a brute horse." 

"Aww, do you have pictures?" Carina asked. 

"I think Marmee has a few," Amy said. 

The group kept chatting and having fun. It wasn't a real Thanksgiving dinner, but they did their best. Amy's friends teased her, trying to get embarrassing stories from Laurie. He gave in telling them about the lobster story, pointing out that the charm she had in the shape of the animal was his present. After a few hours, most of Amy's friends had left. 

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Laurie asked. 

"Carina wanted to go sketching in the piazza..." 

"Oh, I can go on my own. You already finished your sketches for the week." She explained. By now she was determined to give them time alone, she was going anyway. 

"You're sure?" 

"Yeah, you only have 3 more days, right Laurie?" Amy didn't know what to do. Should she murder Carina in her sleep for being so obvious or should she thank her for letting her spend time with him?    
  
  


The next day, Amy met Laurie after work and they left to go around the city. After months of living there, Amy knew the city much better now. She had gotten a job at the Palazzo Vecchio as an assistant to the management team. She liked it, she was learning a lot about the functioning of a museum, she could be around masterpieces and she had a chance to practice her Italian and French. In the summer, Laurie had promised to speak only Italian when he saw her again. And he wasn't joking. Amy just asked him to speak slower, because these Italians spoke too quickly sometimes.    
  
"Where do you want to go?" Laurie asked. 

"We could just walk." 

"Sure." 

"It's good to have you here, Laurie." She said keeping her right hand on her bag or else it would brush Laurie's hand.

"It's good to be here." They continued their stroll talking about these last months. Amy told him about her classes and everything she was learning. It was a drastic change from the time she was in Paris. She was happy and he loved it. 

"I've been talking too much. What about you?" 

"I've been working for the firm as an intern. It's a bunch of administrative things.” 

"Do you like it? I know I said you should work on it, but are you happy there?" 

"I am. It's nice to feel useful, to go to bed knowing you contributed to something bigger. And you were right. I did learn a lot of stuff in college that I'm using now." 

"I'm glad." She smiled at him. They walked back to her building. They crossed the street and she said something, but he didn’t really catch it. He stopped walking and when he didn’t answer, she turned to see him staring at her.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m looking at you.” Laurie’s words made Amy's face go read, it certainly didn’t help to have porcelain skin. Laurie took it as a positive sign and approached her until they were an inch apart. He caressed her cheek with his thumb and she closed her eyes for a moment. He continued and lowered his head to kiss her, but she took a tiny step back.

“We shouldn’t do this,” Amy said, placing her hand on his chest to stop him. Although she kept her face close to his.

“Why not?” Laurie gave a step back to see her better. 

“I would be a little awkward, don’t you think, with our families?”

Laurie closed the distance again, and gently placed one of her golden locks behind her ear. “We don’t have to tell them, at least not immediately.”

Amy considered his proposal for a few seconds before giving in. She lifted her head and met his lips lightly. It was soft and it only lasted a few seconds, but it confirmed their feelings. They both smiled nervously when their lips parted. 

“That was nice,” Amy said, blushing more than she would want to. Laurie replied positively smiling. They looked at each other, quickly sensing desire in each other. Their lips met again, this time with more passion. The need for air made them part, but it was clear what they both wanted. “Carina is upstairs,” Amy said, barely apart from Laurie. “She’s going to Milan to visit her parents on the weekend.” Laurie nodded in understanding and kissed her again. They’ll have to wait one more day, but they will make it worth it. “Sean is also gone already.”

  
  


Amy tried to regain her composure in the elevator, but when she entered the apartment she was still red.

“Why are you so flushed?”

“I... took the stairs,” Amy said, taking her coat off and putting it on the chair at the entrance.

“You want me to go rewind the documentary?” Flo said as she found the channel and lifted a bowl of chips for Amy. Thank God, she had seen this one before, or else she wouldn’t have known what it was about. Amy’s mind was lost in that kiss and the promise of more on the weekend. She looked at Carina, imagining what she would say if she told her that she couldn’t wait for her to be gone so she could be with Laurie.

  
  
  


Laurie didn’t remember the last time he felt so excited to be with someone. He kissed Amy March. This was major! He used to see his friends going all about her like she was the most beautiful girl they’ve seen. He used to laugh at them, especially his friend Parker. Now he understood the fascination. She was definitely a charming young lady since she started to grow up. Maybe he liked Amy since that time but really knew it now. He wasn't going to waste this chance.

His life had become an endless and pathetic cycle of drinking, gambling, and flirting. And then he met Amy in Paris and life started to make sense again. She scolded him and he let her see her own value, and for that, they were better persons now. He could see the complications that keeping this a secret would bring in the future, but he was relieved. For years, it seemed like girls only slept with him to make it public. They fucked the super-rich Laurence boy! Not that he would envision a long term relationship with any of them, but it still hurt his pride. He was glad Amy wasn't like them. 

* * *

“Damn it!” Amy cursed herself silently as she ruined her mascara. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. Dating was a normal thing in her life. Ever since she was 16 years old, she never really spend much time without a boyfriend, or at least dates, even Laurie’s friends would gladly go to Concord to meet with her. Often her sisters would tease and even judge her for flirting with boys all the time. But she was good at it and she had fun. As long as everyone knew that it was a game, it was alright. But now, her hand was shaking as she tried to delineate her eyelids. She usually favored a natural look, base to avoid shiny skin, light pink lipstick, and a few touches of mascara. She didn’t need more. But she was so nervous, she thought she needed to make a greater effort. But why? This was Laurie. He had been in her house countless times. She had no trouble in him seeing her in her pajamas or with her hair all loose. Finally, she gave up and grabbed a towel with a make-up remover. Now, w hat do you wear to a date that is basically a sex date? Laurie had texted her to have dinner at his room and she had gladly accepted. She went for a simple, black dress with a belt to mark her waist. She looked at her reflection on the body-size mirror in her room, not wanting to look too seductively. 

  
  


Laurie heard the door knocking and quickly checked if his breath was okay before going to open the door. “Hey,” Laurie greeted her. They both smiled lightly and he let her in. “Carina left?” Laurie said, trying to break the ice. It was such a strange feeling. They’ve known each other since they were kids and yet it seemed they couldn’t have a normal conversation now. 

“Yeah,” she said, running her hands through her hair, which she tended to do when she was nervous. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s happening,” she justified herself. Laurie walked closer to her. He held her jaw and kissed her and she immediately responded. I mean who were they kidding, they had been going around this moment for almost a year! There was no time to waste. 

“You want this?” Laurie asked, resting his forehead on hers. She hummed and kissed him again more intensively in response. He guided her until her back was on the wall as the kisses intensified. 

“This doesn’t feel weird, right?” Amy asked between kisses.

“No, it feels fucking amazing,” Laurie answered barely making space, while he planted kisses on her neck. She so moaned at his words as he lifted her and carried her to the bed. She so wanted this. It has been a while, more than a year really since she had had sex. She went to a few dates where she allowed some touching, but she usually waited to be more intimate with someone. But not even Fred was able to make her so wanting. Without slight interruptions, they reached the bedroom still kissing and began undressing each other. They stood in front of one another in their underwear. This was happening! Once again they close distance and kissed. 

Amy could feel Laurie’s hands lingering on her bra, still unsure if he should proceed. So she moved her hands from his neck to his torso and pulled them closer, kissing his neck until he finally understood. Now without inhibitions, they removed each other’s underwear. They took a moment to observe each other's bodies. And looking at each other, Laurie moved his hand and placed it between her legs. Her grip on his neck tightened at the sensation. 

"Is this good?" He asked in a low voice that excited Amy even more. She hummed and moved her right hand lower to feel him. She repeated his question and he was only capable of groaning. 

"Do you have a condom?" 

"Yeah," he answered, letting her go to take one out from his nightstand. Meanwhile, Amy lied down on the bed as she watched him, biting her lip. He kneeled on the bed next to her, rolling the condom up. "You're so beautiful." His words made her smiled shyly. He climbed over her positioning at her entrance. 

"You're sure?" He asked once again because assurance is always needed. 

"Yes," she said with her eyes closed. Without hesitating, Laurie moved forward. Amy gasped loudly, as she adjusted to the sensation.

"Amy?"

"It's ok. It's just been a while."

"Yeah, me too." He responded honestly. He usually wasn't worried about having sex right away with a girl, and he definitely came across opportunities in the last months, but he refused them. He guessed that's how he knew he was falling in love.

"You can keep going," she said, grabbing her legs around his hips. They quickly adjusted to a rhythm gradually increasing in speed. They could feel their climaxes coming fast. There was no time for romance now, they had the rest of the weekend for that. Now they just needed this. She held tightly to his shoulders and he did the same grabbing her legs. She came first but he followed her shortly, collapsing on her chest.   


“You want to go again?” He said breathlessly after two rounds of incredible sex, causing Amy to laugh and pull him into a kiss before rolling him away.

"Are you hungry?" Laurie asked and Amy nodded. "You want some pizza?" She nodded again. Laurie kissed her and climbed out of the bed. He put on his underwear and a shirt and went to order the food. Meanwhile, Amy stayed on the bed watching the ceiling, feeling the pulse of her legs. With some difficulties, she got up and found her dress to put it on. She went to the bathroom and tried to untangle her hair with her fingers.   


  
  


"Oh, this is so good!" Amy said as she grabbed a strand of cheese. "Now I know why you never wanted to eat pizza in Concord." It was weird than in the months she had been there, she hadn't tasted Italian pizza.  


"You didn't believe me." He said enjoying his slide. Getting used to the American style of life was a hard thing for him when he first arrived. He got used to most things, but there were two things that he just couldn't accept. One was American pizza and the other one was the experience of drinking coffee. 

They had moved to the couch to watch a movie. Laurie rented Midnight in Paris because he knew how much Amy had loved that movie, so much she declared it her favorite. Besides, Paris brought a lot of good memories for both of them. 

“If you could do that? Travel back in time, where would you go?” Laurie asked.

“I feel like I want to go everywhere... Maybe I’ll do the whole trip.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Gil traveled to the 1920s, but then he and Marianne went back to the Belle Époque.” She said and Laurie nodded. “Let’s say we find someone who loves the 20s, we go there. And then we find someone like Marianne and go to the 1880s, then they would dream of the renaissance and we would go with them to meet the Medicis, and then to Ancient Greece...” 

“I just want to meet Mozart.” He said and they laughed. 

“I’m sorry, I just love this movie. The idea of being able to meet the people you admire...”

“I know.” 

* * *

  
Laurie took the train of 9 o clock to Zurich on Sunday. It took him all of his strength to leave Amy, but he had work to do and she had school. Now Amy was getting ready to go to her classes. As she washed her body, the marks Laurie left became visible. 

"Oh! Carina! You scared me half to death." Amy said, walking to the kitchen grabbed in a towel humming a tune, thinking she was alone as she brushed her hair. 

"I'm sorry. I called, you didn't answer." Carina said as she prepared coffee. "What's that?" 

"What? Nothing." Amy said walking back as fast as she could. But Carina quickly turned her back to examine her shoulder. "Oh Mio Dio," she said, keeping Amy still with both hands on her arms. "So I guess this went well this weekend. You were singing in the shower!" 

"Alright, alright. Fine!" She said, trying not to smile so much, but she failed and her face was red. 

"How was it?" 

"It was amazing. I seriously pinched myself a few times to know that I wasn't dreaming." Carina clapped and giggled. 

"And?" Carina pushed her for more details. 

"We ate pizza, real pizza! We watched Midnight in Paris..." 

"And??? Come on!" She still wanted more and Amy knew it. Amy's phone rang and it was Laurie. "How was  _ it _ ? How many times?" She whispered.

"Hi!" she said standing up. 

_ "Hi, beautiful. I arrived at Zurich around 3 am. I didn't want to wake you up. I'm now on my way to work."  _

"Good, good." 

_ "I miss you."  _

"I know, I miss you too." She said turning so Carina wouldn't see how blushed she was. She stood in front of the counter. But Carina heard it, and although her English was not perfect, she understood. But then Amy turned around and raised her fingers. 

"Seven!" Cari shouted. 

"Nothing, Laurie. It's Carina. She's crazy."

  
  


Once she hung up, Amy walked to meet Carina in her room. “Seven!” She exclaimed again. “Can you walk?”

“It hurts,” She answered, laying on the bed with a satisfied smile on her face. 

“So, how is it going to be?”

“He’s coming on weekends. It’s a six-hour train but he wants to.”

“You look happy.”

“I am,” Amy said. “But listen. We’re trying to keep this private...so when I’m on video calls with my family, can you not mention any of it?” She said and watched Carina frown at her. “We just want to figure this out before we have to deal with the rest of the family.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I didn't offend any American, but I believe that is the kind of position the March family would take. 
> 
> I did my best in writing the intimate scenes that in my head work amazing but it's hard to put them on paper. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. I look forward to your comments!


	7. Three months later (February, 2012)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won’t lie, this chapter is hot. But that’s what happens when Laurie’s birthday is close to Valentine’s day. Enjoy!
> 
> I blame Greta’s comment “they want to fuck”, and Florence and Timmy’s chemistry for making me write this chapter. I just had too.
> 
> Also, if there’s a message here is CONSENT, CONSENT, CONSENT!!!!! ALWAYS!!!!

**Florence**

They had settled into a routine. He would arrive on Friday night and spend the weekend together, no need of getting a hotel room anymore. On Sunday night he went back to Zurich. As far as their families were concerned, they only talked every now and then and spent Christmas and New Year together as friends. But that didn't mean other people couldn't know or didn’t notice by themselves. 

Mr. Laurence is a very smart man. He may not have always been emotionally approachable, but he does his best. Luckily the March family stepped right in and helped him. And now, it seemed like the youngest member was much more involved. He knew since Laurie was in Paris, that she was the reason why he straightened up. And he also noticed Laurie looking at her when he thought no one was watching during Meg's wedding. He always hoped Laurie would find happiness with one of those girls. He seemed disappointed when Jo and Laurie remained just friends. But now it appeared that Amy was making his wish come true. 

Now the old man was having a video call with Laurie when a cell phone rang and the young man smiled at the message. “How's Amy?” 

“What?”

“You forget that I could still see your account state? I know you take the train to Florence every weekend. Is that why you applied to a Masters there?” Laurie didn’t know what to say. He could react and defend his privacy. But he also was aware that his privileges came from his grandfather's money since his salary was that of an intern. So that was a lost argument. 

“We want to keep it private for a while.”

“Does Amy have a boyfriend?”

“No,” Laurie answered. “Are you going to tell her parents?”

“Why can’t you tell them yourselves?”

“Because we don’t want to.”

“Listen, son. You know I never interfere in your love life, no matter how many mistakes you have made. This doesn’t look like one of those. Why you want to keep this a secret is beyond my comprehension. That’s your business. I won’t say anything  _ for now _ . But I don’t like this. The Marches opened their house to you and it’s not fair to lie to them. Just be careful, this is Amy.”

“I know. If I do go study in Florence, I’ll talk to Amy and we’ll tell them.”

“Fine. I hope you’re being safe.”

“We are. Don’t worry about that.”

“I just don’t want to rush a wedding because you couldn’t control yourself. And I don’t want Robert to kill you.”

“Oh my god! We are being safe, I swear.”

* * *

Valentine’s Day landed on a Tuesday, so they celebrated the previous weekend. He knew how much she loved to go to the theater and reserved seats at the Goldoni Theater. Although she enjoyed attending concerts and operas, she was more of a ballet-kind of person. Luckily for her, they were offering  _ Le Corsaire,  _ one of her favorites. He knew she kept a copy of the performance from the American Ballet back at home. He used his insanely rich account to get a couple of the best seats. He was wearing a fancy dark suit. But what caught his attention, as well as those from other of the attendants, was the beautiful blonde woman who accompanied him. He didn't really know anyone, nor expected to encounter anyone. His relationship with Amy had been reserved for only a few of her friends and Flo. He enjoyed having her all for himself. 

Dressing formally was not a strange thing for Amy. Her family was once rich before she was born. And they maintained some friendships in the high society of Concord and some in Boston. Besides, their friendship with Laurie helped them get more invitations. Amy adored going to all kinds of events and dressing elegantly, even if their dresses had to be cheap. But Amy had such good taste, she could find lovely dresses in discount areas. After all, she loved dresses and always wore heels. 

This time, she pulled one of Flo’s dresses. Her cousin usually lent her clothes and she even helped her decide what to wear for tonight. It was a beautiful simple cream dress that hugged her waist. The skirt fell freely reaching her knees. They left their coats at the entrance and went to their seats. Unlike most people who only went for the ballet to socialize, Amy paid attention to the actual performance. She read the program carefully, kept quiet during the dance, and applauded when it was appropriate. It was a fantastic love story with a happy, yet highly unrealistic, ending. But she loved it. And Laurie agreed that it had some of the best music in ballet history. She waited anxiously for her favorite part: the grand pas de trois by Medora, Ali, and Conrad. This was the first time she saw this ballet live. Most of the time, they attended plays and Jo loved Shakespeare so they went to watch that. 

“You liked it?” He asked once the lights went up and the people started to exit the theater. They walked arm in arm to the lobby. 

“Yes, thank you for this.” He kissed her lightly.

“Let me get our coats.” He left her side. She looked around at the place, at the people. She had always been a girl who enjoyed a high society lifestyle. Her mother had warned her about the dark side of it, as not everything is as pretty as it seemed. Marmee lost a lot of “friends” when the family fell into poverty. And throughout her life, Amy had had unpleasant experiences. For instance, she hated being patronized. That’s why she made such big efforts to improve her behavior. She learned how to talk, dress, and act in public places, with Aunt March's mentorship. And for the most part, it worked. People recognized in her a serious, cultured, and well-mannered girl, worthy of any rich wooer that came across. Even her family was impressed at how easily she conducted herself in the middle of a crowd. That’s why Laure liked to take her to parties all the time, even before they started dating. 

And she didn’t want the money _per se_ ; but because it opened so many doors. Without money, one could not enjoy ballet. It was reserved for the rich and it sucked. She herself wouldn’t have been able to study art without her aunt’s money. She knew wealth could never buy happiness, but it certainly eliminated obstacles and worries to focus on self-realization. 

“Here,” Laurie came back, interrupting her thoughts. 

“Thank you,” she said as he helped her into the coat. 

“The uber should be here in a couple of minutes.”

“Grazie,” Laurie thanked the driver and walked with Amy to the villa holding hands.

“I love this place so much,” Amy said looking at the view, they could see the city far away. “I know,” Laurie said embracing her from behind. “I love having you here.” he continued kissing behind her ear. Amy closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling. 

She turned around to pull him into a kiss that quickly increased in intensity. Had they been together every day, probably their hunger would have declined. However, absence does make the heart grow fonder, and other organs for that matter. He didn’t want to stop, but he also wanted to take inside the house. 

As soon as they were in, they worked their clothes out and took it to the main bedroom, stumbling against the furniture on the way.

“Oww,” he cried when his leg hit the corner of a table.

“Oh, sorry,” she said laughing.

“It’s fine.” He laughed too and kissed her again. 

The next day, they had breakfast and got ready to walk around the city. No matter how many places they had already seen, they always found new ones to discover. Florence was truly the most beautiful city ever, at least in Amy’s opinion. Everywhere she looked there was a testimony of the Renaissance. 

Laurie finished sending an email for work while Amy got ready. 

“Hey,” Amy said, entering the living room. 

“Ready?”

“Yes,” she said holding something on her back. “I know we said no presents. Although the ballet technically counts as one. But your birthday is close, so here.” she handed him a rectangular box.

“Amy!” He tried to protest. She really didn’t need to. She was more than enough and he loved to take her to the theater and to dance. He liked to do those things by himself, but with her, it got so much better.

“I just framed it.” She added as he opened the gift. He smiled when he saw their portrait. It was the one they had made in Montmartre a year ago, when he visited Paris. And she had kept it!

“I love it. Thank you”

Knowing fully well of her love for churches, he let her choose the destination. It was the turn of Santa Maria Della Novella. 

They returned around sunset to cook dinner. It was cliché but they didn’t know many recipes nor were they very savvy in the kitchen. So they cooked pasta. Once the food was ready, they sat at the table, which Laurie had arranged, giving it a romantic atmosphere. It helped a lot that they were in an Italian Villa far away from everyone else. But it was nice to see him making an extra effort.

“I think I’ve finally decided what I want to make my Masters in.”

“That’s great, tell me.”

“I’ve been rotating around all the departments of the firm. And it’s been great, and I learn a lot from each of them, but I can’t let go the idea of doing something that had to do with culture.”

“Oh?”

“Relax, I won’t drop everything to try to be a composer. But, the company has a foundation that dedicates to help cultural projects and institutions. I loved it. Out of all the areas, that one is the one I liked the most. I talked to grandfather and he agrees it is a good career path, very prestigious.”

“Sounds great. How did I not know about that?”

“Probably because I never did. It’s until now that I’m paying real attention to what the firm is about. Turns out there were not just a bunch of pretentious men in fancy suits making money. Anyway, there are Masters in Cultural entrepreneurship and Arts management all over Europe.” He said, making a pause. “One of them is here.” Amy frowned.

“Here, in Florence?”

“Yeah,”

“Wow, and how is it? I mean, I suppose you have other options.”

“I do, but this one is really good. Besides, it would allow us to be in the same city.” Laurie said, sensing Amy’s hesitation. “Wouldn’t you like that?”

“What? It’s not that... Of course, it would be amazing to have you be here with me. I just don’t want you to define your career path based on our relationship. Don’t come because I’m here. Come because it’s the best option for your career.”

“Florence has an impressive reputation for the management of their cultural spaces. And the university is a prestigious one. Of course I hoped to find good options in Florence to be close to you. But I’m taking this seriously. I’m happy managing cultural projects, going to fundraising events. I like helping people to have a better cultural offer and to be more inclusive. I want this.”

“You’re completely sure?”

“Yes, I am.”

“It would be a little weird if you come here, out of all Europe to do your Masters, don’t you think?”

“We could tell them once I’m accepted.”

“Alright.” She said calmly, although he notice her worried expression.

“My grandfather knows about us already, anyway.”

“What?” She panicked. “How?”

“Well, he still checks my accounts. He says he’s not going to say anything. So don’t worry.”

“Worry? Laurie, Oh my god! He must think I’m some...”

“He doesn’t think anything. He loves you! He doesn’t like the secrecy, but he’s happy we’re together.”

“You think I should talk to him?”

“Not really. If you want to.”

Once they finished eating they remained talking on the table. 

“When is the exam?” 

“Two months.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been studying for the whole year.” He knew that. When he was there, he would help her with study cards. The exam was partly theoretical, partly practical. Basically, the students have sessions with the board of professors. They would ask them basic knowledge about Art History. And then, the students have to present a series of sketches and paintings. But the last part of the examination was the live painting. A model would pose and the students in groups of 10 would be around her trying to make the best possible work. It was horribly stressful, but it was the price they had to pay to get a chance for free tuition. And Amy was glad there were no standardized exams. “What if my hand freezes? I feel like I’m going to forget everything.”

“You’ll do fine, I know that. You’ve done tons of those kinds of works.” Laurie said going to her. “Come, you need to relax a little bit.” He looked at her hand and made her stand up to kiss her. 

“I really do.” He took her to the main room, kissing her until her back touched the wall.

“And I have an idea.” He said after a heated make-out session. Amy threw her a confused look. “Do you know that women are more into feeling than men.” He said while her hands roamed her back. 

“Seriously?” She said, smirking.

“You know what they say, take one sense away, it enhances the rest.” He said kissing her pulse point, he knew excited her.

“Aha.” She uttered, breathing heavily.

“Do you trust me?” He said, looking at her directly in the eyes, stopping all his ministrations so she wouldn’t be distracted.

Amy opened her eyes and looked at him seriously. “I do.”

“It will be just a blindfold.”

“Yes,”

“Have you ever done anything like this?”

“No,” Amy answered. Usually, her sexual activity was very traditional. She felt comfortable with it. She never understood the excitement over kinky stuff. But blindfolds weren’t so kinky, she thought. At the end of the day, she closed her eyes most of the time. And Laurie inspired her a kind of trust she never felt before. He was a decent man, he would never do anything against her. 

“You can take it off, the moment you feel uncomfortable.”

“I will. You’re wearing a condom.” She said, more like a rule than a suggestion.

“I promise.”

“Alright.” She acceded and began kissing him again. “What should I do?” She said as they walked closer to the bed.

“Let me take care of you. And be honest with me. If there’s something you’re not liking, tell me.” He said, pulling a silk band from the drawer. His friends suggested it and he was always surprised by how opened Europeans were about sex. When he started thinking about this, he felt ashamed. But the more he researched, the more excited he became. One thing he got clear: make sure your partner understands what’s happening and that they consent. He was glad Amy accepted. He walked behind her to tie the silk and pushed the knot to the side so it wouldn’t bother her later. 

“Is it too tight?” Laurie said. 

“No, it’s fine.” She answered while she could feel her wetness increasing. Laurie moved her hair to the side and kissed her lightly. He then proceeded to unzip her dress slowly and she could hear it. He continued kissing the back of her neck as his right hand sneaked inside the dress to massage her breast. Amy gasped at his actions and threw her head back. 

“I’m getting weak on my knees.” She announced. He gladly let her dress fall and lifted her to put her on the bed. He climbed on top of her and kissed her passionately. Men, this thing worked fast. He stood up, and she heard his shoes and belt falling on the floor. She had always loved his scent, but now it was more present than ever. She moved her hands to find the buttons of his shirt. And he got the message and took it himself, lowering down again to let her feel his body. 

Laurie moved his mouth from hers to her jaw, to her neck, and stopped at her breasts. He kissed them on top of her bra. His hand traveled back to undo it and remove it. Now the article also said that men were visual creatures. And it certainly was right. Because seeing Amy like this was surely the sexiest thing he’s ever seen. He took a moment to memorize this image, which intensified Amy’s expectation. 

He took one breast on his mouth while he massaged its partner, and then changed positions. Amy moaned loudly. She was glad there was no one around. But even if there was, there was no power that could make her stop. She decided to enjoy the ride and threw her hands back when he massaged her torso. 

Always taking his time, he kissed lower and lower. He gently brushed Amy’s panties, watching her throwing her arching. Slowly he removed her underwear, leaving her completely naked.

She felt his hands caressing her and his kisses on her inner-thighs as it got nearer her center. 

“Shit! Fuck.” She reacted when Laurie touched the perfect spot.

“Something wrong?”

“Oh, no. Stay there.” She said punching his head back between her legs. He really wasn’t doing anything different from their usual love-making, but having her eyes covered intensified everything.

“Gladly.”

“Oh my god!” She said, feeling her orgasm grow and grow until she came.

“I’m not done.” He gave her after a few moments to come down from her high. 

“I hope not.” She felt his breathing on her neck of his laugh. He hovered above her. Her hands traveled along his body to discover that he was now naked too. Her left hand settled on his butt while the other one went to massage him. Laurie groaned, extending his hand to help her.

“I want you.” She said. He grabbed the condom he had on the nightstand. He let her feel as he put it on so she was sure he was wearing it. He knew there were men that promised to wear a condom and then right before entering, they removed it. They would talk about it as if they had done a big act. Of course, this was the kind of conversation men had when there were no women around. He knew Amy and most women were aware of this behavior and wanted to assure her that she could trust him.

“Ready?” He asked and she confirmed. They kept trying to kiss but the movement made them separate. They moaned and gasped uncontrollably. Amy grabbed the sheets with all her strength. And he was able to find her hand to interlock their fingers. 

He ended up collapsing on top of her. She gently stroked his hair as they leveled their breathing. He pulled up the silk letting her eyes free to watch. 

"Hey," he said sweetly.

"Hi."  He finally rolled away and got rid of the condom. And Amy shivered at the loss of his body warmth.  


“I love you so much,” she said as he climbed back to bed.

“You love this or all of me?” He joked, pulling her close.

“I mean. I’m not gonna lie. This was mind-blowing. But I wouldn’t have felt like this with just anyone.”

“It’s not like this with other people,” he added, agreeing with her. He pulled her into a kiss. “I love you too.”

* * *

“Alright, tell me everything,” Flo demanded via Zoom.

“I’m not going to detail everything. Just know that I had the best night of my life.”

“Damn! What the hell did he do. He can’t be that good.”

“He is, he really is.”

“You glow, you know that?”

“It’s a sign of satisfaction.”

“I hate you!”

“Be happy for me.”

“I am, I am. I’m just so jealous. At least one of us enjoyed Valentine’s day.”

“Come on. What happened with Will?”

“Ugh, it turned out to be a lost cause.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. So what else happened in your magical weekend.”

“Laurie is thinking about coming here to study his Masters.”

“Wow, that’s big,” Flo commented. “Just how long do you think you’ll be able to keep this a secret if he moves there.”

“That’s the thing, we’d have to tell them.”

“That should be good, right? No more secrets.”

“I know, but I can’t help but think that somehow there would be trouble. You know my family. I want to make sure this will last.”

“But it’s Laurie.”

“I know… and that’s exactly why. I don’t want it to turn awkward if we fight or worse. We still have a few months here so maybe we can go home together in summer and tell them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like it ;)
> 
> I look forward to read your thoughts.


	8. Two months later (April, 2012)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurie makes a big mistake and he pays the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: you might hate Laurie at the end of this chapter. Sorry, but if you’ve read/watched Normal People you know there’s a bumpy road ahead.

**Zurich, Switzerland**

“Hey,” Jo’s face popped up on the screen.

“Hi, how is everything?”

“Great."

"It's good to be back at school." He said. He missed school, where he only had to study.  


"Why do you think I'm going back?"   


"Classes are heavy?" 

"A little bit. A lot of reading, so I love it. My German literature class is the best.” Last semester Jo decided to do a postgraduate degree in Northern European Literature. Amy never understood why Jo loved German so much. She claimed it sounded horrible as if they were always angry. But to Jo, it sounded beautiful. It was a matter of tastes and personalities. Jo, for example, hated French and never dedicated it more than a few minutes of study, which drove Amy crazy. But German was something she was interested in. She started studying it with her father, which introduced her to Dutch. Mr. March surprised her once with an old edition of the Grimm Brothers’ tales. “Professor Bhaer is a genius!” She said, too excited for Laurie’s taste.

“Wow, you don’t attribute that quality to anyone.”

“Oh, shut up. He’s just a good professor. My reading list is increasing in every class. And he lent me a book in German. I actually understand it!”

“You’ve been studying German for years. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t understand a word, considering all the time I spent helping you.”

“Yes, but it's still hard to actually read novels, especially period pieces.”

“Sure,”

“Oh, I almost forgot. You’re not dating anyone, right?” Laurie tried to keep his cool at Jo’s question. Amy and he had practically forgotten about discussing the issue. More like they preferred to avoid it.

“No, why?”

“Nothing. You just are usually going out with girls. It’s been more than a year since you mention anyone.”

“I’m just focussing on work now. It was time I put attention to something that will actually define my future.” He said.

“Well, how about this. My friend Carol is in Europe this semester as an exchange student. And she has never been to Switzerland. So how about you give her a tour around Zurich.”

“I don’t know, Jo. I really have work to do.”

“It will only be a day, please?”

“I...”

“She’s super nice and pretty. You always like that.” He did, he even went to a crisis because he thought he was being too superficial. But this time she had that and more with Amy. 

“You already told her, didn’t you?”

“I mentioned the possibility.”

“The possibility of dating me? I’m not really up for that right now.”

“Come on! Since when are you not up to date? Look,” she said showing her a picture of the girl. She was indeed pretty, definitely the kind of girl he would say yes to in the past. But how could he keep saying ‘no’ without explaining the true reason?   


“Alright, but don’t promise her anything, ok?”

“Fine! Just be nice to her.”

* * *

“Jo is here for spring holidays,” Mr. Laurence mentioned.

“Yes, I just talked to her.”

“She said you’re meeting her friend next week?

“Mhm, she wants to play the matchmaker now, I guess. If only she would keep that energy for herself.”

“Laurie?” He said, hardening his tone.

“What?” he asked obliviously.

“Does Amy know that?”

“I’ll tell her when I’m there.”

“Laurie!”

“What?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m talking to you?” 

“You’re going on dates...”

“I’m just showing her around.”

“So can Amy do the same, meet a young man, and show him around?”

“Look, I didn’t even want this. Jo was the one who set it up!”

“Don’t blame Jo! Take responsibility!”

“You’re taking this way too personal, don’t you think?”

“She’s Amy! Her family has treated you like one of their own. They have values, Laurie!”

“I know!”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“I thought you were a better man. I thought you have corrected yourself.”

“Grandpa...” Laurie tried to argue but the screen went black. 

* * *

Laurie arrived as usual in Florence. When he accepted Jo’s offer, he didn’t think it would cause problems. But after the call with his grandfather, he doubted it was going to be simple. He went over and over about how he was going to explain the situation without causing major problems. Amy would understand that it wasn't anything serious. He didn't put much effort into the discussion. As far as he remembered Amy had never made big scandals for jealousy. She shouldn’t react badly, she knew he loved her. When he met Amy he forgot about it and enjoyed the limited time he had with her. 

“I’m sorry. I know you two want to be alone, but my train got canceled so I’m dining with you.” Carina explained. She usually took the train after classes. Therefore, by the time Laurie arrived, she was already gone. 

“Relax, besides we have to eat to have energy.” Amy said smirking. Laurie liked Carina, she was a good friend to Amy. Together, they had a nice dinner and talked in the living room until she left. 

“Ok, be good!” Carina winked at Amy, closing the door. Now they were alone and Laurie should really talk to her about the blind date Jo arranged for him.

“Do you want to watch something?” He asked as he thought of how to introduce the subject. But he didn’t have much of a chance because she climbed on top of him and kissed.

“No,” Amy answered. She hated/loved how much she wanted him. It was a challenge that they could only be together on weekends. “What’s wrong?” She stopped kissing him when he didn’t answer as she expected him to. In his mind, Laurie debated whether to tell her now or later. Unfortunately, he decided on the latter.

“Nothing. I missed you.” He said, kissing her passionately. Amy didn’t make much of it and let him carry her to the bedroom. 

After sex, they fell asleep so he kept quiet. The next morning, afternoon, and night, he kept quiet! They went around the city and had a great time as usual. He forgot completely about the issue. By Sunday morning, Laurie finally remembered the tiny little detail he had to address and decided to speak. They had sex the night, barely with energy to put their nightclothes. They wake up tangled in each other. 

“Good morning,” Laurie said caressing her hair. 

“Morning,” she answered sleepily. She loved him so much. How did she get so lucky? 

“Listen,” he said, stopping the make-out session. “I may arrive till Sunday morning next weekend.”

“Oh,” She said, a bit disappointed but nothing terrible. “Work’s getting heavy? Because if it is. Maybe you don’t have to come at all. You'd be on the train longer than here. We can manage.” She offered.

“No. I’m meeting a friend. Jo’s friend really, she’s visiting Zurich for a day.” He said hoping it won’t trigger any alarm, but he failed. Amy never liked to appear jealous. She didn’t like it when men were like that, so she tried to act as she wanted others to do. Besides, it was not very elegant nor discreet to go around making jealousy scenes. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel something worrying when Laurie spoke of an unknown  _ she _ . 

“Do you know her?”

“No, Jo says she’s nice.”

“Ha,” Amy said sitting on the bed, bringing her knees to her chin. Amy was aware of how many girls could be attracted to a man looking like Laurie.  


“I’ll just show her around and take her to eat something.”

“Sounds like a date.”

“Don’t be angry. Jo set me up. As far as she knows I have been single for more than a year.” He said sitting next to her.

“But you’re not really single.”

“It would have been weird if I refuse it.”

“Sure,” she said tensing her jaw. “And this woman, she does think you’re free to date?”

“Hey, it’s not like I ask for it. She thought she was helping me!”

“So you have no other option. Poor you, you’re such a martyr.” She said searching for her robe on the floor. 

“We should have told them months ago.”

“You’re the one who suggested keeping it a secret.”

“Because  _ you  _ were scared! And even then, I didn’t mean it forever.”

“And you couldn’t say it sooner?” She said covering her body. An awful feeling ran through her like she had been used. He could have sad something since he arrived, but he decided to wait after they have had sex to tell her. 

“Amy...” He said walking closer to her, but she moved away. 

“I think you better go.”

“Come on, don’t make such a big deal about this. It’s just a stupid blind date. I’ll meet her for a day and then I’ll never see her again.”

“Right, so you go on dates in Zurich, and on weekends you just come and fuck me!”

“That’s not it...”

“It feels like that,” She said, hurting.

“Amy,”

“Go! Don’t bother coming at all next weekend.” She said closing the bathroom door behind her. 

Amy leaned on the door, covering her mouth so he couldn’t hear her cry. But of course, he knew she was crying. He saw her red eyes before entering the bathroom. He debated between staying or leaving. But he was also angry. Amy took the situation out of proportion. He kept the relationship a secret for her sake! He remembered the day in the Villa and her face when he suggested telling them. He opted to leave. He quickly got dressed and left.

Amy couldn't believe it. How could she had been so blind and stupid. Ugh, she hated herself for this. She saw how he behaved in Paris, how he went from woman to woman sleeping around. She remembered how he was back in Concord. He begged and begged Kate Randall, but truly he never cared about her. It’s a miracle he never got any girl pregnant. He flirted with her all the time since she was 16, but really he flirted with anyone. Maybe this was not the first date he had had in Zurich. What if he told her about this one only because it landed on a weekend? He could have slept with others all this time. She should have known better. She felt used. 

A momentary hesitation reached her. No, this was Laurie. Sure he had made mistakes in the past, but he was still a good man. He made her feel like she was the most special girl in the world. What she said on Valentine’s day was true. She had never felt this way with anyone else. He listened to her, he made her laugh, he took care of her. He loved her!

Her first mistake was keeping it a secret. But she knew her family would have made a big deal. They wouldn’t have liked to be far away while she and Laurie were an ocean away. Her parents have always been religious and they judged liberal practices. She hated how preachy they were. Her family rarely liked her boyfriends. She cursed herself for being such a coward. Why should she care what everyone thinks? As long as she was happy, it should have been enough. Maybe Laurie was right, they should have said something earlier. But then, why did he agree so fast to keep this a secret? He wanted that. He wanted to hide and lie.

Amy heard Laurie slamming the door and knew it was over. She couldn’t move. Months of bliss transformed in pain. It’s true what they say, the people you love the more are the ones who can hurt you the most. She hated this feeling. 

* * *

“Ciao,” Carina entered the apartment. She usually found Amy in the living room or in her room reading or sketching or doing whatever. She checked on her room and everything was pristine. Had she been cleaning?

“Hey, you’re back.” Amy said carrying clean laundry. After Laurie left she came out of the bathroom. But seconds later she felt disgusted. She returned to take a shower. She got dressed and sat on the bed. It was a mess, a sign that they made love the previous night. She grabbed the sheets and went downstairs to wash them. 

“Yes, I sent you a message.” 

“Sorry,” She said, walking to her bedroom to put the sheets back and make the bed. Carina noticed instantly that something was wrong.

“Is everything alright?”

“Laurie and I broke up,” Amy let out. Out of all the things Carina expected, that wasn’t one. 

“What?”

“We’re done.”

“What happened?”

“He apparently has a date in Zurich.”

“What!”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Amy said, continuing working on the bed. “Listen, it’s over and I really appreciate it if we don’t discuss it. It’s late.”

“Ok, but you know I’m here when you’re ready.”

“I know. Thanks.”

The next morning, Carina woke up earlier to make breakfast. Actually, her mother cooked breakfast, she just had to heat it up. She had been in Amy’s place and knew how much it hurts. “Buongiorno,” she said kindly.

“Buongiorno,” Amy said sitting down at the kitchen table. 

“Here, I made breakfast!” She joked and Amy smiled lightly. “Did you sleep at all?”

“A few hours.”

“You don’t have to come. I’ll say you’re sick.”

“No,” Amy said. “I can’t miss classes because of this. I still have to pass that exam. I already lost enough time. I’m fine.” She continued with a bitter tone. Carina knew it was normal. 

“You don’t have to be.”

“Jo set him up and he agreed. He acted like it was nothing, like I should be okay with it.”

“Your sister set him up?”

“Yes. It’s not her fault. She didn’t know. Laurie should have said no.”

Amy went to classes, but she barely remembered what happened there. In Anatomy class they began studying hands. She sketched automatically and she remembered her teacher correcting a couple of details. And then her History of Art class had just started with the Classical period of Ancient Greece. She caught some images of contrapposto. Back at home, she answered emails and chatted with her sisters. She was lucky, they didn’t have time for a session via zoom, because she didn’t think she would be able to hold the facade. 

They heated the last portion of Carina’s mom's food and ate in silence, though she could feel Carina’s eyes on her. They moved to the couch to watch the latest episode of Portrait of the Year. The host was talking about the details of a painting. One of the artists talked about the process. How you had to immerse in it and try to figure out who the person in front of you was. 

“I need to go to the bathroom,” Amy said, disappearing. 

Carina ended watching the episode alone. She turned the tv off and everything was silent and Amy’s door was closed. “Amy?” She walked slowly towards the room and heard her sobbing. She knocked gently and opened the door slightly. She saw Amy curled in the bed trying to cry quietly. “Oh, tesoro.” She ran to sit at the edge of the bed. 

“I’m sorry,”

“It’s okay. ” She hugged her friend. She knew how happy Amy had been with Laurie. 

“I can’t stop.”

“Let it out.” Amy cried harder for a long time. Then her sobs started to decrease and her breathing evened.

“Men are so idiotic sometimes.” Carina herself had had experiences. They both laid on the bed, looking at the ceiling.

“You know what I hate the most? How easy I fell. I never have sex with anyone on a first date. He even warned me when his friends wanted me. And with him, hell, I spent a whole weekend.”

“You already loved him.” 

“I feel so stupid.” 

“For loving him? Don’t do that Amy.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine.” She was going to be better, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t going to be immediate. Carina knew it. 

* * *

Laurie tried calling her dozens of times, but every time she ignored the call. His messages weren’t read either. He didn’t know what to do. Honestly, he had never been in this position. Usually, his relationships ended without much drama because they weren’t really meaningful for either of them. His infatuation towards Kate Randall disappeared quickly, leaving no trace. Should he cancel his “date” with Carol and go to see Amy? 

He didn’t. He continued going to work and when Friday arrived, he met Jo’s friend. She was a nice girl and everything, but he barely enjoyed the day. He took her to a few places and tried to be as polite as possible. In the end, she didn’t deserve a bad experience. Before taking her to the train station, he invited her to eat something at a common restaurant. Nothing that would indicate a romantic date.

“Listen, Carol. You’re a very interesting person, but to be quite honest I’m not looking for a relationship right now. I’m sorry Jo told you otherwise.”

“She just said you have been dating for a while.”

“She needs to learn boundaries. Anyway, I’m sorry if you got the wrong impression.”

“Jo talks about you a lot. And she showed me your picture. She seems weirdly interested in your love-life.” They laughed because it was true. “Look, it was fun. You showed me a lot of places and this dinner was nice. But I think we’re different people.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’ll tell Jo you tried.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

One thing was clear for Amy, she wasn’t going to let this heartbreak ruin her life. She went to act as if everything was normal. Only Carina and Flo learned the real reason. The rest of her friends didn’t need to hear the humiliating story. She attended her classes, went to work, did her homework, and prepared for her exam. Yet, she cried every night for weeks. 

The day of the exam finally arrived. Amy felt confident, although slightly nervous. Oral exams were not common in America, so this was a new experience. She had dedicated all her weekends to study and practice. She entered the room where the applicants were reunited. They were about 50 of them. One of each discipline would get a scholarship. The first day was the oral exams. The professors divided into 5 rooms. One by one, the students entered hoping they got the kindest ones and stayed for 30 minutes. 

The next day, they went back and in groups of 10, they sat around the model. Amy took her seat that allowed her a ¾ view. It was a beautiful woman, not older than her. Her skin was dark and contrasted with the loose tank top she wore. The professor gave her some instructions to pose. “You have five hours.” She announced. They’d have breaks every hour for theirs and the model’s sake. Amy tried not to look at the other paintings but it was inevitable, everyone did it. They were right next to the other. But they were all different, not only in form, but in perspective, so there was little to copy. 

* * *

"Shouldn't you be on your way to Florence? Robert said next week she knows the result of the exam." 

"Amy broke up with me." Mr. Laurence's face changed. "Go ahead, you can say 'I told you so'." 

"I never wanted this to happen? Is there any way you can fix this?" 

"She's not answering my messages." 

"Give her time," Mr. Laurence genuinely hoped they could overcome this.

“More?”

"You did something very unkind, Laurie. It’s not easy to forgive that.”

“I wasn’t going to cheat on her!”

“You hurt her,” the old man continued. Laurie just exhaled. “I think it's good that you feel so bad."

“Honestly, I just want to forget about it.” He said firmly. His grandfather knew he was angry and heartbroken. 

For the last few weeks, he had felt like shit. He couldn’t sleep nor eat. Even his coworkers noticed it. He was not being himself. He told Sean about the breakup and he understood why his friend was so devastated. He barely had the energy to work.

One night his friends convinced him to go out. “It’s been weeks, “you need to go out, have fun.” they told him. At last, he accepted. He went to a club. The music was so loud he couldn’t even hear his thoughts and the lights flashed all around. Everyone was having fun, they danced and drank like there was no tomorrow and Laurie followed them. As usually happens in these places, he ended up dancing with a beautiful girl. Suddenly he started to feel sick, even though he hadn’t drunk that much. He excused himself and went out of the club. 

Walking along the sidewalk, Laurie rubbed his face. Something was wrong. He felt anxious and trapped. And even though he was rounded with people, he felt incredibly lonely. His friends were a good company, but he was used to more. He missed Jo and the rest of his family. Amy was close, but she refused to talk to him. 

* * *

The Academy was cruel. They waited until the last day of classes to announce the recipients of the scholarship. Amy woke up early, nervous about the results. What if she didn’t get it? She liked her portrait, but she couldn’t be so confident. There were a lot of talented, brilliant students that posed good rivals. But first, she had her last classes. After that, she met her friends and together went to see if any of them had won. 

At last, the moment of truth arrived. At 6 pm, on the cloister of the Academy, the director stood up. “Good evening, students. As you know the St. Petersburg Art Academy in Florence was founded with the purpose of preserving the traditional method of fine arts. As such, and with collaboration with the Repin Academic Institute of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Russia, we are glad to award this scholarship to the students who demonstrate outstanding talent.” The director started to list the names by discipline. Amy heard when her friend Xavier won for sculpture. They cheered and hugged him. 

“Now, for the painting students,” her hands were sweating and Carina’s hands held her shoulders. They were all rooting for her. She tried to control her breathing. She told herself that whatever happens, she was going to be okay. But she also had started biting her fingers, a horrible habit she did unconsciously when there was too much stress.

“The recipients of the scholarship are Michaela Rossi and Amy March.” She heard her friends cheering and clapping for her. Yes! She did it. She felt a huge weight disappear. 

“Haha, I knew it.” Carine said, throwing his arms in the air, before turning Amy to hug her properly. “I’m so proud of you.” He said to her ear and kissed her on the temple. 

“Full scholarship, art supplies, support for accommodation, and food services. You’re such a fucking nerd!” Xavier said cheerfully and they all laughed. 

“We both are.”

“Ugh, this is great! Let’s celebrate!” Carina said and they all went back home to cook a special meal for the winners. 

* * *

Laurie looked at the date on his phone. Today was Amy’s received news of her scholarship. He marked it months ago and never deleted it. He wished she could be there for her. She was so nervous the last time they spoke. Although he was sure she was going to get it. She was so smart, much more than most people in Concord. But then again, it was a family thing. On the day of the exam, he tipped  _ Good luck,  _ but he didn’t send it. He didn’t want to distract her. It took him weeks, but finally, he understood why he hurt her so much. But it was too late. 

He looked at the clock. It passed midnight, Amy must be sleeping by now. He began feeling an anxiety attack, kind of like the ones he felt after losing his parents. He dialed her number. 

_ Hey, it’s me again. Please don’t delete this message. I know it’s late and you don’t want to talk to me. But… I know today you learned if you got the scholarship. I hope you had because you deserve it. And even if you don’t, you’re still an artist. I know I screwed up. I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you like that. I miss you...I really miss you, Amy. I want to hear from you. I need you. I can’t stop thinking about you. Please Amy, I really love you...I’m sorry.  _ He hung up. He couldn’t control the tears any longer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to be clear that Jo shouldn't be blamed for this. She didn't know this was going to happen.
> 
> The portrait Amy did for her exam, should sound familiar if you know May Alcott's work ;)
> 
> I'm curious to hear your thoughts.


	9. A month later (July, 2012)

Amy went back home a week after the end of the academic year. As always, her family received tight hugs and kisses. And she did her best not to appear sad. Although the pain was still there, it just had decreased. She had a lot of time to reflect on what happened with Laurie. She was still disappointed in him, but she wasn’t as angry as she was in April. In fact, she missed him. She would have loved to share the winning of the scholarship with him. But it was too late. 

Now there was no time to think about that. Meg was in her last week of pregnancy. It had been a calm pregnancy, her older sister had always been healthy. They were surprised by the coming of twins! The future parents were incredibly happy, but also anxious and fearful. It’s already difficult to be first-time parents of one single baby, let alone two at the same time! But that was why Marmee dedicated her time to prepare the couple. She knew enough, having brought up four women. 

The sisters had helped Meg knitting clothes for the babies (always bigger sizes, cause babies grow up so fast). Amy helped Meg decide on the nursery colors, and helped paint the room and arrange everything. 

Amy felt fine. Time and distance did help her. Until one day, she realized maybe there was a tiny part of her that resented Jo for what she did and all that happened afterward.

The three unmarried sisters were in the living room enjoying a free day. Everything was fine until Beth laughed at something she saw on her phone. 

“What is it?” Jo asked Beth. 

“Oh, nothing, just an email.” Beth brushed off the question, but her sister who never learned boundaries grabbed the phone to see the address. 

“Since when do you write to Frank Vaughn?” Jo asked annoyed.

“Since last year. He learned that I entered Berklee and he congratulated me. We’ve been emailing each other ever since. I hope it doesn’t bother you, Amy.”

“Why would it bother me? You two have been friends for years.”

“Well, yes but back then you and Fred dated...”

“Beth, we broke up two years ago. Besides, you and Frank have nothing to do with it.”

“I’m glad. He is so nice to me. It’s good to have a friend like him.”

“I’m happy for you,” Amy said, realizing Beth’s dreamy tone.

“You like him!” Jo exclaimed. “Does it have to be a Vaughn again!?”

“We’re not… it’s not like that.” Beth said nervously.

“What’s so wrong with the Vaughns?”

“They’re annoying, pretentious rich boys. Can it be someone else?” Jo pleaded to her sister. Beth tried to deny her sister’s assumptions. 

“Jesus Jo, why don’t you let everyone else with their relationships and you focus on yours!” Amy snapped.

“We’re not in a relationship...” Beth said in her quiet voice. But her sisters had stronger voices. 

“Wow, where did that come from?! I just said...” Jo was confused.

“Let Beth make her own decisions, we’re not here to please you! If she wants to be with Frank, it’s her choice!” Amy continued. This wasn’t about Beth. 

“Amy...” Jo called her, but Amy left the room. “What the hell is wrong with her now?”

Amy went outside. She knew she did wrong, but she snapped and she couldn’t stop. She still believed that Jo was not to blame for what happened with Laurie. But at that moment, she needed to let some of her frustration out and unfortunately, Jo took the worst of it. 

Before dinner, Amy went to find Jo. “Hey,” Amy entered the attic. Jo looked at her but she was still angry and confused at her. “I’m sorry ok? I snapped.”

“What the hell was that about? Are you still in love with Fred?”

“What? No! It’s not about him, it’s...” Amy debated upon telling Jo the real reason for her outburst. But then she thought it would be unfair for Laurie. He couldn’t be here, most probably because of her. “It’s just you always want to interfere. First with Meg, then me and Fred and now with Beth. I just think it’s Beth’s decision. Frank and she got along pretty well. He’s a sweet boy and Beth doesn’t open so easily to everybody. So even if they’re just friends, I’m glad she has someone to trust other than us.”

“I guess you’re right,” Jo said and took a moment to look at Amy. “Are you sure that’s it?”

“Yes. What else would it be?”

  
  


* * *

A day before the date of birth, Meg began feeling contractions. These babies were not gonna be told when to be born. John rushed her to the hospital and called the family. Everyone stayed in the waiting room anxiously. Only Marmee entered the delivery room. 

A couple of days later, the family held a little reunion to enjoy the newly-born. Mr. March wanted to meet the little rugrats. He felt a certain kind of pride because technically without him, Meg and John would have never met. They were all in love with the newest members of the family. The grandparents looked at them with such adoration and the younger sisters were absolutely fascinated with them. 

In the middle of everything, Mr. Laurence took advantage of a time Amy went to the kitchen to get dessert and went to talk to her.

“Oh, Mr. Laurence. Please, I’ll take the plates in a second.”

“It’s alright, Amy. How are you, honey?” Mr. Laurence spoke to her sweetly, almost like he spoke to Beth. Like a daughter.

“I’m alright.”

“Are you liking the Academy? ”

“Yes, it’s fantastic.”

“I hear congratulations are in order! You got the scholarship!”

“Thank you.” She said, trying to smile and a tense silence followed. 

“Laurie said you ignored him for months.”

"Well, I suppose I did.”

"Good," he said surprising Amy. “I’m sorry he hurt you.”

“He… I don’t think he meant it. We were fine until that day. And he was right, I should have told my family ages ago.” He saw her eyes saddening and rushed to hug her. "I'm sorry you got stuck in this mess." 

"You and your sisters have done so much good for us. I look at you all as my own. And I know especially you did so much for him in Europe."

“Well, he’s family. You both are.”

"Ha! I remember a time when you girls were scared of me." He laughed. 

  
  


* * *

Laurie decided not to go, under the excuse of work. He told them he wanted to finish with some tasks before leaving the office to go study the Masters. John and everyone understood although they missed him. But thanks to technology he was able to meet the babies. 

“Hey!” Laurie said adorably as John showed him the two babies peacefully sleeping. 

“Amy tied a blue ribbon on little John, and a pink one on Daisy’s.”

“They’re adorable. You’re disgustingly happy.”

“I know. I have everything I ever wanted.”

“I’m glad.” He really was glad for his friend, and at the same time, he felt envy. John had the happiest of lives. They struggle, sure, but he was happy and stable. Is there a manual to achieve that? cause he was rich, he would pay anything for it.  


“I wish you could have come to meet them.”

“I know, but work got in the way.”

“It’s alright. Maybe next summer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. This was a really short, frankly lazy chapter. I just needed this transition. But, the good news is that I’m done with exams! And the next chapter might come sooner than other times. I already have it planned out and it looks like it’s too long haha, so I might split it.


	10. Two months later (September, 2012)

**Florence, Italy**

Laurie arrived in Florence during the last week of September. It was a small city but not exactly quiet. Tourists were everywhere. He was able to find a nice and fancy apartment for himself close to the university, so he didn’t have to buy a car. That was why he loved European cities. He attended his classes in the morning and had the rest of the day free. Free to do homework, go out with his classmates, and try to find Amy. 

When she ignored his last call with the crying and the apology, he figured out it was definitely over. Regardless, he missed her and when he received confirmation from the University of Florence, he debated whether he should go or not. But then he remembered Amy telling him that he should choose based on himself and not her. And who knows, deep in his mind he still held the idea of repairing what he broke. The Marches knew how to forgive, right? He attended different churches every time, went to museums, and all the places she said she loved. A few times, he stood in front of her museum but retracted himself. It would have been too obvious to visit the place where his ex-girlfriend worked.

* * *

A month into the semester, Laurie was getting more confident in his classes. At first, with everything he had in mind, he remained quiet. There were a lot of classmates from social sciences, which meant they had much more theory to argue. His business classes didn’t prepare him to debate on gender, decolonization or politics. A couple of times the professor had singled him out, forcing an opinion on the matter and he felt really uncomfortable as everyone looked at him expecting a deep answer. Therefore, he set himself to prepare better. He underlined the readings and took notes on everything. He was getting better.

“All I’m saying is, aren’t these objects better preserved here?” A young man argued.

“That’s not the question. They don’t belong here. They’re the result of years of spoiling and exploitation. Like these Benin bronze pieces, they massacred the kingdom” Laurie intervened. 

“Yes, European colonization caused grave damage to the indigenous populations. But, it also brought a lot of progress.”

“‘Progress’ they didn’t ask for. And let’s be very careful about what we call progress.” A few classmates nodded in agreement to Laurie’s argument.

“Alright, class, let’s leave it there. Good discussion. Laurie, good job, it’s nice hearing your voice at last. I’ll see you all on Thursday, please do the reading.” The teacher ended the debate and everyone made their way out. Laurie followed his classmates when he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey, you argue well,” It was Chase. 

“Thanks. I still don’t agree with most of what you said.”

“That’s what college is for, isn’t it? Anyway, we have a party next saturday, why don’t you come? My girlfriend is interested in these issues too, I think you’d like what she says. Plus, she’s American too.”

“Yeah, sound good. Thanks.”

* * *

“So how’re classes going?”

“Better, yeah,” Laurie said because of course, he unloaded all his frustration on Jo.

“Yeah?”

“It helped a lot talking to you beforehand.”

“Oh really. How many academic terms were you able to squeeze?” Jo asked playfully. 

“A few, thank you very much.” They both laughed.

“So, what plans do you have?” Jo asked him.

“Nothing, really. Just homework.”

“That’s odd coming from you,” Jo pointed out. “Why don’t you call Amy? I’m sure she has something.”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s weird you haven’t seen her in the city.”

“It’s not as small as you think it is. Besides, she might also be busy.”

“Mhm...” Jo hummed dubiously.

“Actually, now that I remember. This guy invited me to a party.” Laurie said to change the subject.

“There you go, see.”

“I don’t think I’m going.”

“Why not? You’ve always loved parties. Is something wrong with you? You don’t say much about friends there.”

“I’m still working on it.”

“How are you going to meet anyone if you don’t go out?”

“Look at you, wanting to socialize.”

“I’m not talking about me, it’s about you.”

Fine, fine. I’ll go. But it’s a lame party...”

“I’ll rescue you,” Jo said. How many times have they rescued each other from horrible dates and events?   


* * *

Saturday arrived and he really didn’t want to go. But he supposed Jo was right. He hung out with a few classmates, but their friendship was still raw. How much would it hurt a party? The guy who invited him annoyed him as much as those acquaintances he had among the rich families, but he didn’t have to spend all night with him. He ended up putting a blazer and walking to the guy’s address. 

“You made it!” Laurie was greeted by his… friend? “It’s not like parties back home, but it’s good,” he continued speaking as they entered the house.

“Hey, this is Laurie.” He presented him to a friend.

“Hey, man. American, too?”

“I’m half Italian.”

“Cool,” Chase said.

“Are you living on campus?”

“Amm no. I was able to rent a place for myself.”

“That’s awesome,” Chase pointed out. They left his friend and guided him out to the patio. “Let’s see, where are they?” He looked around until he found his group. “Here, Amy! I’d like to know someone.”

Laurie stood frozen for a couple of seconds. Of course, the universe would make Amy this guy’s girlfriend. Now he really hated him. He stared at her and he was sure he was going to remember exactly what she was wearing that day. A blue silk scarf, white shirt, blue-navy, pleated skirt that reached below her knee, nude heels. Her hair was a little shorter and she had a side fringe. She wasn’t alone, she was with a group of friends who stared at him.

"Laurie Laurence, from beyond the grave!" Said Amy. "We come from the same town, neighbors." 

"No way." Said Chase. "The world is indeed small." 

"It gets smaller every day," Laurie said, trying to appear calm. 

"Give me a moment," Amy said to her group. "I'll get you a drink." She said walking into the building. He followed her closely. 

"Here," she said, handing him a drink she knew he liked. "I didn't know you were going to be here." 

"You knew I was applying here." 

"I mean the party." 

"It's a small city." 

"Chase says you take classes together?" She asked, confused. Chase was an international lawyer, not really into culture.

“International Heritage Law,” he specified. “He has a lot of interesting opinions,” they both laughed.

“I’ve missed you,” she said with a smile on her face. 

“Me too,” Laurie smiled back. “I got a little worried about you.”

“Sure,” she said with a bit of resentment. 

“You didn’t answer one single message.”

“Felt a little abandoned there, Laurie.”

“Me too. You disappeared, that date wasn’t even something important.”

“I had to concentrate on my exam anyway.”

“I figured you’d said that.”

“Maybe you’re telepathic.”

"You know, there was a time when I could read your thoughts." 

"In bed, you mean?" 

"Yes, and afterward." They looked at each other. “I don’t know, maybe it’s normal.”

“It’s not.” He didn’t know how to continue the conversation after that. 

“You look great.”

“I know, it’s these clothes. Now that I have the scholarship I can spoil myself to look pretty.”

“No, I mean, yes, you look pretty wearing this. But you’ve always looked beautiful. You are beautiful.”

“Oh, well, Haven’t heard that in a while.”

“Doesn’t Chase tell you you’re beautiful? Oh no, he’s probably busy in his drama club or something.”

“Debating, don’t be mean. He loves it.”

“Yeah, I noticed. Does he really have to use the word “episteme” every time he speaks?”

“It’s not that bad.” she laughed.

“I thought I did bad with Randall, your boyfriend denies colonization.”

“He enjoys being the devil’s advocate,” Amy argued. “I’m not dating him to exchange political arguments. I guess we both failed in finding morally perfect partners.”

“You could say that.”

“Are you dating anyone problematic at the moment?”

“No.”

“Trouble fitting?”

“Well, I’m not entirely Italian, nor entirely American. So… it’s like trying to fit in in Concord all over again.”

“I have to say, I somehow feel like I fit in more easily here. It’s easier when no one knows my family to make comparisons.” 

"Yeah," Laurie said, taking a sip. "Are you telling him about us?" 

"He's going to know eventually. Maybe I should tell him before someone else does." 

"Where's Carina?" 

"Milan, her sister is doing the First Communion." 

Amy woke up in Chase’s apartment. She climbed out of bed and made coffee. She knew this would happen eventually. Florence was a rather small city, not seeing Laurie ever would be nearly impossible. And then, he turns out to be that interesting friend Chase talked her about. She felt a little lost at the moment. 

“Hey,” she felt Chase walking towards her and kissed her lightly. He went to grab a cup of coffee and looked at her as her sight seemed lost. “Morning,” he waved his hands to catch her attention. She smiled at him.

“Listen, I have to tell you something,” he turned to look at her worried. “Laurie… he and I kind of dated early on in the year.”

“Oh,”

“Since Thanksgiving, really. We broke up in April.”

“You  _ kind  _ of dated.”

“It’s complicated, we didn’t even tell our families.” She watched Chase react. He wasn’t exactly happy, but he didn’t look angry either. “I just didn’t want to point that out yesterday with everybody there.”

“Sure. So, are you friends now?”

“Like I said, it’s complicated. We are neighbors back at Concord, my sister is his best friend and our families are very close. So, it’s hard not to know about him and be around him during holidays and vacations. I just wanted you to know, because Carina knew about it and other people. They might mention something and I didn’t want you to learn about it from someone else.”

“Ok,” Chase nodded. He looked thoughtful. Amy knew he wasn’t the most confident person ever, but to his credit, this was an awkward situation. 

“But, it’s just when my family is around. I doubt we’ll see much of each other here.” She didn’t know how wrong she was until a couple of weeks later.

Amy went back to her apartment. She was exhausted; she didn’t need to sleep but her mind wouldn’t stop thinking. Last night was weird. She didn’t expect to see Laurie at that party, and then he mentioned stuff and ahh. She took a shower and prepared to see friends. Carina arrived in the afternoon and Anette was coming to spend time together. 

“Thanks for letting me stay the night, my mother is worse every day!” Anette said, dropping her phone on the table where Amy and Carina were sitting. 

“Sure it can be that bad,” Carina mentioned.

“Try dealing with her, she’s never around and when she’s there it’s horrible.”

“Does she work?” Amy asked. 

“She’s a therapist, attends people with terminal diseases.”

“Wow!”

“Sounds stressful,” Carina said. 

“Money’s good, though. What about you Amy?”

“My father is a minister. He volunteered to go to Iraq as a chaplain. My mother is a housewife but she does a lot of charity work in the community.”

“You don’t say it very enthusiastically.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that it’s a lot sometimes. My father used to have money, my sister Meg still remembers how it was. Now the only thing we have from that is the old house. He trusted too much. Sometimes I think he cares more about morals than having food for us. ”

“High expectations?”

“The highest. My parents are always trying to be morally perfect, it drives me crazy.” Amy said. She loved and admired her parents, but there had been times when they frustrated her. 

“What about you? Is your family normal?” Anette asked.

“Yes, we’re pretty boring. Sorry girls.” Carina said happily. 

“Sounds great,” Amy replied.

“Where’s Chase, by the way?” Carina asked.

“Umm… I don’t know, some group meeting or something.”

“Yes, but isn’t it better when he’s not around?” Anette confessed.

“Hey,” Carina tried to stop her.

“What! We both know he’s not worthy.”

“But then, who is it?” Carina replied. 

Amy continued with her life as usual. She attended her classes and did the homework, then she went to work and on dates with Chase. She filled up every single time she had free time with friends. 

“Do you think one day we could be in art history books?” Carina asked one day, as she applied the last details to her copy of Bouguereau's  _ Head of a Young Girl _ . “One day, art students will copy our work.”

“I don’t know. I try not to think about that.” 

“Wouldn’t you want to be a genius?”

“I nearly left my dream of becoming a painter thinking like that. Before coming here I had decided to drop it and become an art historian or something related, but not painting.”

“Really?” Carina asked, surprised. She couldn’t imagine Amy being anything but a painter. “How did you come back?”

“This school. I got frustrated because I thought the traditional painting was dead, this school proved it wrong. Laurie showed it to me.”

“Oh,” Carina was intrigued. In all this time Amy hadn’t mentioned him at all. She told her about the party but nothing further. 

“Anyway, who wants to be a genius?” Amy asked, trying to change the course of the conversation.

“I would like the title.”

“You’d never had a normal life!”

“Yeah, but who wants normal?”

“I do. I want the husband for life, the kids, and the house. I mean, I also want to work and be successful, but I don’t want to give up the first.”

“You realize that would be much easier if you were a guy?”

“I do. It sucks!” Amy cursed. “But at least, we could work at home.”

“That’s true.”

* * *

“Alright class, we have a new model for the week.” The professor presented a woman in her early thirties. He let the students work with her, passing through the easels, doing corrections and commentaries. This semester Amy felt professors putting more attention on her works. It was normal, they wanted to make sure she was worthy of the scholarship, which added pressure to everything. She didn’t want to disappoint them and herself. The class ended a couple of hours later. Once the model had gone, in the middle of all the noise of bags and chairs moving, they heard an annoying classmate. 

“Poor dear, I expected a better model. Shouldn’t they try to find beautiful people. I don't want to paint ugly people.” Samantha was one of those annoying, pretentious students who believed the world turned around her. She usually demanded to be in the first line, right in front of the model. Most of the class hated her. She certainly knew how to find people’s weak points; in Amy’s case, she had commented on her nose. To Amy, it was like Jenny Snow all over again.

“Well, I think there is more than one way to be beautiful… and ugly for that matter,” Amy commented as they passed next to her. Anette laughed quietly, throwing a look at Samantha. 

* * *

“You killed her!” Anette exclaimed after telling everyone what happened in class.

“I did not,” Amy tried to brush it off, although internally she enjoyed it.

“You should have seen her face,” Anette continued laughing. Amy smiled and collected the plates to leave them on the counter. 

“Hey, are you ok?” Carina came in with more dishes. 

“Yes. It was kind of amazing.”

“Sure it was.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” Carina asked one more time. At some point, someone proposed to go to a bar. Amy drank very little and she wasn’t in the mood to go and have fun. 

“I’m fine,” Amy reassured her friend. 

“I can stay with you,” Chase offered.

“No, I’m fine really. I’m tired. I think I'm going to bed as soon as I finish cleaning.” He gave in, gave her a quick peck, and left with everyone else. 

As she said, she finished cleaning. Quickly she prepared to go to bed, but after thirty minutes, she still was awake. It has been two weeks and she had been able to avoid Laurie successfully. At least physically, because she thought about him every now and then. She missed him. He was excited about his Masters, and now he was here and she hadn’t even asked him how he was. She looked at her phone for a while, before searching for his contact. 

Laurie was still up, finishing an article for the next day when his phone rang. He looked at it quickly but turned to it again when he read “Amy”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I just want to say that the beautiful comeback that Amy gave to the annoying classmate comes from The Other Alcott. 
> 
> I don't know you, but Amy's dilemma of wanting to work and also have the family is something that e and my friends have discussed it a few times. 
> 
> I'm stopping making promises of longer chapters and sooner updates haha. I know usually I write about 3000-4000 words per chapter, but I didn't have more to put in this one and I wanted it to end like this.
> 
> I look forward to reading your thoughts.


	11. A few seconds later (October, 2012)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m cheating in this chapter, cause you’ve already read the first part. But if you were wondering when are we going to reach the meeting at the cafe from the first chapter, this is it. We’re finally there and moving forward.  
> I realized that in the series, the meeting at the cafe happens way after this point, but I already did it this way, so that's how it is haha.

Laurie was still up, finishing an article for the next day when his phone rang. He looked at it quickly but turned to it again when he read “Amy”.

 _“Hi,”_ She wrote. Laurie straightened up and looked at the screen. Then he dialed her number. 

Amy left the phone on the nightstand, not really expecting him to answer back, but internally praying he did. Suddenly, her phone rang and it was him. She sat up and accepted the call.

“Hi!” Amy greeted him, trying not to sound too excited.

“Hello?” Laurie greeted back dubiously. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes, it’s all good.”

“Yeah, I just haven’t had a midnight call from you in a while.”

“Oh,” she laughed nervously but flattered. “I just, I keep thinking... how nice it was to see you again at the party. Emm…. and I… I was just thinking that I missed having you in my life… and I was wondering if you would want to be in it again?” Laurie listened and smiled. “I know we haven’t done the friends thing for a while, but maybe we can try again.”

“Sure, yes,” He answered.

“Ok,” she laughed. “Great.” They could totally do that, right? They could be friends again, maybe things were never going to be like before but it was an improvement. They agreed to meet at a cafe close to Amy’s work.

  
  
  


The day was chilly and grey. And Amy was sitting on a table outside of the cafeteria checking her messages, Meg had sent another adorable video of her little ones. She smiled at the babies babbling. Aside from this meeting, her day had been mostly uneventful.

“Hey!” She heard a male voice calling her. “I got stuck in traffic, sorry,” Laurie said a little breathless from running. 

“It’s alright. I ordered coffee for you,” Amy said as Laurie sat in front of her. “So, how have you been?”

“Working, first semester...so far so good.”

“You’re enjoying it.” She stated, noticing Laurie’s excited tone. She loved seeing him being determined and finally knowing what he wanted, at least in his career. “I’m sure you’ll do great.”

“I wish I could have as much faith in myself as you have for me.”

“Well, it’s easier to see it from the outside.” He nodded, knowing that she struggled with that sometimes, too.

“So, how’s life with a scholarship?”

“Great, it took a huge weight from my shoulders. I still can’t believe it.”

“Don’t tell me your self-doubt thoughts came back?”

_I’ll never be a genius, so I’m giving up all of my foolish artistic hopes._

“No, they’re gone for good. But it’s still quite incredible that I got the only scholarship the Institute gives.”

“It is pretty spectacular,” Laurie said smiling at her, she replied with a similar warm smile. “You were at home in the summer?”

“Yes, we missed you,” Amy said, careful to emphasize _we_. “Daisy and Demi are the cutest babies.”

“Yeah, well, to be honest, I didn’t know if it was appropriate for me to go.” Amy threw a confused look at him. “I know we agreed on keeping what happened between us private...part of me thought that maybe you would talk eventually, seeing as you were always so close with your family.”

“I didn’t. We agreed on that. Plus, if I would have talked, I would have told you.” Amy reassured him. “Meg can’t keep the secret to save her life. And then Jo, Beth, and Marmee would know, and so does Father and your Grandfather…”

“I’d be exiled forever,” Laurie said laughing. Amy laughed too.

“I don’t think we did anything wrong, complicated yes, but nothing bad. But you know there’s normal bad, and there’s ‘March bad’” Amy responded, taking a sip of coffee. “I thought they’d judge me. You know they can be too preachy sometimes. Most of them expected you to end up with Jo.”

“I know. But it took a terrible date to realize how wrong we were.” Laurie replied to Amy’s last sentence. He also wanted to comfort her on her beliefs about her family’s judgment but decided to leave for later.

“Have you talked to her, Jo?”

“Yes, it’s hard to find an hour that fits for both, so we go with emails and WhatsApp, mainly.” Amy nodded moving the spoon for her cup.

“Of course.”

“You don’t speak to her?” Laurie asked.

“Oh not really. If she ever finds out about us, I’m pretty sure she’d break my nose.”

“It would have fixed it, though,” He said, earning an offended (but not really) expression from Amy. They both laughed. “Will you be home for Christmas?”

“I hope so. I have a lot of work to do. Now that I have no expenses for the school, I can save for a trip home. You?”

“I’ll try. Will you bring Chase with you?”

“God no!” Amy replied quickly and quite emphatically, making Laurie raise an eyebrow at her. “We’re far from that stage.”

“How is he?”

“Stressed, school, you know,” Amy said knowing Laurie had understood. “It would really help if you two were more civil around one another.”

“I’m always civil.”

“You intimidate him.”

“Me? He’s taller than me and bigger!”

“Yeah, but still. You were the guy who used to fuck his girlfriend.”

“Is that how you describe me to your friends: ‘the guy who fucked you’”

“No, of course not. But that’s the only thing about you that he really cares about. Anyway, I think he's been getting bored of me, lately.”

“Why would you believe that?”

“Because that’s what he told Carina.” Laurie widened his eyes. “I don’t know...he sometimes wants to try stuff that I don’t feel comfortable in trying…” Amy stopped pondering if Laurie were the best person to have this conversation with. Two years ago, it would have been easier. “I mean, we never did anything crazy or weird, right? Was it boring?”

“No!” He blurts out and even he surprised himself with how fast it came out. “No, I think we did everything we wanted.” He smirked.

“Be serious,” Amy said, smiling and kicking him lightly.

“I’m sorry. But, it’s true. We never did anything that made any of us uncomfortable.” 

“Exactly.” Amy paused for a moment. “It was different with you, though,” Amy said thoughtfully, remembering snippets of their time together. 

“Different how?”

_“It’s too tight?” He asked her from behind. “No, it’s fine,” Amy said adjusting the tie covering her eyes, her breathing already heavy._

“It's just, I didn’t have to worry about you taking full control. I knew you wouldn’t ask me to do anything that upset me or hurt me. I trusted you."

“You don’t trust Chase?”

“He’s alright, I guess. Maybe I’m too traditional, but...”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t like it. He should have known you better, honestly. You have no obligation to satisfy him.”

“Sometimes I wouldn’t be in the mood, and you never made a big fuss over it. Put on a movie or just go to sleep. With him, it’s like...it can get into an argument.”

“But he does stop, right?”

“Yes! Of course, he does.” Part of her was happy with how worried he said that. “It’s just I have to take care not to offend him.” She explained. “With you...it felt real, but Chase...I don’t know. It’s like I’m acting a part. Funny, because I was never the best actress in the plays.” Amy said. “So, what he’s not getting at home, he might want to go find it somewhere else.”

“He’s an idiot, then.” He said with a sympathetic smile. 

“You won’t tell anyone about this, will you?”

“Who do you think you’re speaking to?” He said and Amy smiled, knowing he could be totally trusted. 

“It’s nice to see you again.”

“It is.”

“Alright then, let’s talk about something else. You have plans for tonight?”

  
  
  
  
  


Amy’s friends received Laurie gladly. Some of them were familiar and others were new. The old ones greeted him even though they haven’t spent almost any time together. A couple of times, they all hang out. But normally, the ones who could go back home like Carina and the others had other plans. And in the end, weekends were the only days where Amy could be with Laurie so she tended to reserve those days only for him. They knew they had dated, but only Carina was aware of how deep their feelings came to be and how it ended. And if it helped, no one really had made a strong friendship with Chase. 

Actually, it looked like her friends, one, in particular, liked Laurie too much. Marianne was a nice girl, very sociable. She asked about him, and Amy not wanting to appear jealous or anything she said there was no problem. But internally, she felt a punch in her stomach. She saw them talking and laughing at a reunion. Oh well, there it was. 

  
  
  
  


“I have your essays graded. Some were excellent, a lot were good, and a few needed a lot of work. People, you’re in a Master's degree. If you still have trouble with writing, please, do yourself a favor, talk with whomever you trust the most, and ask for help.” Everyone laughed, but internally Laurie was praying he had done well. He worked hard on this. At the end of the day he had graduated with honors from college, he should do good in Masters. 

Turns out Laurie was one of the excellent ones, a few details but overall it was the best in the class. Laurie smiled at the screen with his grade. He worked on that thing for days, making sure that everything made sense and agreeing with the instructions. A nice feeling of satisfaction filled him. And apparently, everyone learned about his grade. It was weird because for weeks he felt like a fish out of water. Surely some classmates might have commented on his lack of knowledge on social sciences. But now, they respected him, even agreed with his opinions. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“You look very pretty when you concentrate,” Chase mentioned as Amy worked on a canvas. She usually painted alone and focused, but Chase arrived and they haven’t had much time to go out alone, so she supposed his presence would be fine. However this was a very important delivery, the teachers would choose the best of the classroom and their paintings would be exposed in a salon. As always, there was some expectation/obligation for scholars to be there. So, she just smiled at him and went back to her canvas. 

“The other day, we were at the park and this guy...” he kept talking. 

“I really need to finish this. Tomorrow I have tutorship on this.” She interrupted him. He looked at her and gave in. Amy didn’t want to sound harsh but sometimes Chase was too much. Like she told Laurie, she had to take care of not hurting his feelings for things like this. Why couldn’t it be easier with him?

  
  
  
  
  


On a Wednesday afternoon, Amy and Laurie were studying in her living room. Yes, now they did that sort of thing where they could spend time in complete silence studying for their subjects. It felt good. Amy stopped reading her book and looked at him.

“What does it feel like?” She asked. “To be the top of the class?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“No, but seriously. At this rate, you could graduate with honors again.”

“I don’t know. It’s not really that complicated. Most people get into the classroom without doing the readings and then they just participate saying a bunch of deep reflections with confidence.”

“The thing is that most of the time, I have no idea what I’m doing. It’s annoying that they do that, but I wish I could be that confident. I’ve been trying to find my place since I came to Concord.”

“Doesn’t seem like that, from the outside.”Amy pointed out. She knew it had been difficult for him to adapt to American lifestyle, but after he started hanging out with her and her sisters, he seemed alright. He definitely had no trouble getting friends and girlfriends. He was popular. But maybe he decided to hide his insecurities, a little bit like her.

“Do your friends know what happened between us?”

“No… Only Carina, but she's not saying anything.”

“Would you care if they know?”

“Yes. I prefer to keep that privately. I just… it’s not the nicest thing.”

“I always wondered if I should have come back if you’d have received me.”

“I don’t know,” Amy said. She thought about it for a long time. It broke her heart when Laurie stopped calling, although she knew she couldn’t expect him to beg forever. But still, it hurt. And then he never tried to visit her. Most probably, she would have forgiven him. “Yes, probably.” 

“Jesus Christ, Laurie!” Amy was crying now. She covered her face.

“That was really the first time I had a big fight with someone. I guess I struggle with commitment. I know it's a shitty thing men say all the time, but it’s difficult for me to make important decisions. I don’t know why, I just been doing what my grandfather expects me to, what everyone expects my life to be. Really, the first time I felt in control of my life was after I was in Paris with you.” Amy’s eyes were puffy. “I’m really sorry, Amy. Please believe that I never meant to hurt you.”

“I forgive you,” Amy said quietly. "And you weren't the only one who screwed things up. I was scared that they would judge me, that Jo would be angry. Wha we had felt so good. I didn't want to ruin it with family drama."

"I understand."

That conversation with Laurie changed a lot of things for Amy. Her father always told her that there was power in forgiveness and every time it proved to be right. As soon as she said it, she realized the grudge she held and then how quickly it left. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“I don’t think we should see each other anymore,” Amy said, kind of out of the blue, although she had been thinking about it for weeks. 

“What?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Where is this coming from?”

"Seriously? Chase, you're the one who keeps talking about us to everyone else! If you didn't like something you should have told me, instead of making it public!" 

"When, when could I talk to you. You're always busy!" 

"That's not true! I sometimes need time to complete my projects. But we spend time every day or we text, whatever. If it's not enough then I'm sorry but my studies come first." 

"Wow, so this is how it is?"

“You told Carina, you were getting bored.” She sighed. “Listen, this is clearly not working. I’m sorry.” 

“Ha? Ok.” He grabbed his coat and left the apartment. 

  
  
  
  


“Thanks for the lift,” Amy said as she and Laurie walked towards his car.

"It’s ok. Where's Chase?" 

"We broke up. I don't want to talk about it." 

“You broke up with him before the party? God, you’re brutal.”

“I just had to say something… Oh God, it’s really shitty, isn’t it?”

“Was this party his only option?”

“I hope not.”

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine... surprisingly.” She said. “Weren’t you going to pick up Marianne?”

“No, why?”

“Mhm, just you two have been cozy with each other?”

“Cozy?!”

“Come on, Laurie. We’re adults.”

“We saw each other a couple of times, but ahh, it’s nothing serious.”

“Mhm”

They arrived at the party where his friends were already there. Laurie went to put the bottle he brought to the bar, while Amy went to meet her friends.

“Hi!”

“Uh, you look great,” Anette complimented her. 

“Are you ok?” Carina hugged her. She had already texted her about the breakup. Amy said she was fine.

“Of course she’s fine. She just lost pounds of boredom!”

“You’re horrible!” Amy exclaimed. “I shouldn’t have done it today.”

“He’ll be fine,” Xavier told her.

“Laurie came?”

“Yeah, he’s somewhere.”

“Probably Marianne found him,” Anette said conspiratorially. 

  
  
  


Usually, Amy liked parties, but this one was a little heavy. Maybe it was the drinks she had. Her mind was somewhat lost and her vision was not the best. Still, she looked around trying to find someone. 

Finally, she found him talking with a friend on top of the stairs. 

“Hey,” Amy approached and his friend interpreted that as his sign to leave. 

“Drunk already?”

“Shouldn’t you be with Marianne?”

“She’s not at the party.”

“Oh… she’s pretty.”

“So are you.” Amy blushed, even more than she already was due to the alcohol. She walked near him. “Do you know you have perfect proportions?”

“Sure,” he laughed.

“It’s true, like a Greek sculpture. Probably why I'm so attracted to you,” she said as she ran her hand through his hair. He laughed nervously, the way she was looking at him was causing his lack of breath. And then her mouth was on his and it only lasted a few seconds but it was good.

“There’s a bed upstairs,” she whispered.

“We are upstairs, Amy,” they laughed. 

“Come on,” she pulled him to go to the room.

“Not tonight. You’re wasted.”

“Does that means you don’t want to?”

“No, Amy…” He said looking at the floor, knowing that if he looked at her he’ll give in. How could he tell her how much he wanted her. “You should go to rest.”

“Please. Just kiss me,” to that, he did comply, even if it was just a quick one.

“Goodnight Amy. I’ll be here in the morning.” Laurie said, kissing her temple and getting out of there as fast as he could. 

  
  
  
  


“Morning!” Laurie is standing next to his car, and he throws a bottle of water to Amy.

“Thanks.” She said, taking a sip of it. Her eyes are still trying to adjust to the sunlight, and she places a hand on her forehead to cover her face from it.

They both get in and back to Amy’s apartment. “I’m really sorry.”

“It's ok,” Laurie said instantly, looking at the road.

“No, it’s not.”

“You were drunk, Amy. It happens.”

“I feel like an idiot and a hypocrite. I scold you last year for drinking and now you have to pick me up like this.” She said raising her knees and hugging them, while her head was down.

“Well, to be fair, you’re not always drunk like I used to. Once every now and then is not a big deal.” Laurie said, wanting to address what Amy said at the party, but not sure how to. 

“How much did I embarrass myself?”

“You don’t remember what you said last night?” Amy raised her head and looked at him worried.

“Do you remember?”

“Well, yeah.” He turned to look at her momentarily. Amy made a remorseful expression and dug her head deeper between her legs. He laughs. A second later he was placing his hand on her knee, unstintingly. “It’s alright.” Once he noticed the intimacy of his touch, he retrieved his hand back to the wheel.

“Well, I’m sorry if I made things weird. I know you’re seeing Marianne.”

“We’ve barely gone out.”

“Still, it was disrespectful of our friendship.”

“I didn’t know you were that close.”

“No, _our_ friendship,” Amy said pointing at the both. “Agh my head is killing me!”

“Here,” Laurie said, opening the glove compartment and taking a box of aspirins from it. “Have one of these.” Amy thanked him for the pills and swallowed one. “Are you hungry?” Amy nodded strongly as she was starving. Laurie stopped at a red light and grabbed a Tupper from the back seat. He offered it to Amy. It was the cold leftovers of yesterday’s meal, just some pasta. 

Twenty minutes later they were in front of her residence. Having eaten almost all of the pasta and with the effects of the aspirin alleviating her headache, she realized something. “You brought me water, food, and aspirins.” She stated in a tone of astonishment and incredulity. 

“I just knew that you’ll be thirsty, hungry, and with a headache,” Laurie explained. Amy looked at the building and closed her eyes for a moment. She just needed a second to think about how special Laurie was. He didn’t need to do all these things. He wasn’t her boyfriend, he had no obligation towards her. 

“You want to come up.” She said, putting her hand over his on the wheel. 

“No,” Laurie shook his head. “Go, take a shower. Who knows what was on that floor.” He said straightening some of her hair that was a mess for sleeping on the floor of the bathroom. “Get some sleep. I can over tonight.” Amy nodded at his suggestion and smiled. He had kept his hand on her hair so he used it to pull her head and kiss her. It was a quick one, the kind couples give to each other every day. 

“Brush your teeth.” He joked, making her laugh; although she quickly covered her mouth. Her breath must stink. 

  
  
  
  


A few hours later, Laurie came back. Amy looked better, she was clean and well slept. She might have slept too much, and just grabbed a shower before he came. She was still in her robe and she was drying her hair. 

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah,” she answered. “I need to finish drying my hair.” She went back to the room while waiting in the living room. He looked around, it had more things than the last time he was there. It looked more like a home, which wasn’t a surprise since she and Carina had been there for a year already. Finally, the sound of the hairdryer disappeared. Amy walked back to the living room and stood in front of him. They looked and told each other a dozen things, but the important one was that they both wanted each other. He gently took her hand and pulled her to sit on him to kiss her. It wasn’t fast, they wanted to take their time. Slowly, he opened her robe and kissed her chest and breast while she moaned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!
> 
> I know it's shitty to break up with someone during Holidays. Oh, and of course I am picturing Timothee Chalamet as Laurie because he really has perfect proportions.


	12. A month later (April, 2012)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm sorry for the delay.  
> I did a few edits on the last chapter that does not affect the plot at all, it's just an adjustment of dates.

Amy moaned quietly as Laurie’s right hand continued running his fingers around her clit. “You're ok?” Laurie asked in a low voice that made Amy’s pupils go full behind her eyelids. She couldn’t utter a word. She swallowed hard and just nodded, grabbing his arm to encourage him. Laurie smiled and pulled her left shoulder’s strap to kiss it gently. 

They were arranged, sitting one in front of the other, facing the same direction. Laurie had his back on the headboard, and Amy had her back on him. She moved her head to lean it in his shoulder and give him more area to kiss. He moved to her pulse point and she held his arm tighter. She gasped for more air at Laurie’s ministrations.

“You’re so getting laid tonight, Laurence,” Amy said, keeping her eyes closed and reaching for his other hand. They intertwined their fingers and she could feel Laurie’s smile in her neck, especially with the use of his last name. 

“Stay,”

“I can’t.”

“My classes start until four,” before she could answer, her phone buzzed, reminding her of her tasks for the day. 

“I kind of hate that buzz,” Laurie said, since it was not the first time they were interrupted by the reminder of some meeting/class or whatever that made them stop. He stopped and pulled his hand out of her panties, but kept it on her leg. “I thought today was your free day?”

“I know, I’m sorry.” Amy laughed as she reached for her phone in the nightstand. “Michaela is sick so I have to cover her shift at the museum,” Amy said, showing her lack of excitement. She walked out of bed and began dressing up. “I have to get clean clothes and Carina worries.”

“That’s sweet of her. You got lucky with that roommate.”

“I know.”

“Come here,” he said standing up and hugging her by the waist. They looked and smiled at each other. Amy stopped their make-out session before it got too heated. 

  
  
  
  


“Hey!” Carina greeted her from the kitchen table. “Walk of shame!”

“Don’t say that,” Amy said walking towards her room.

“How’s Laurie?”

“Fine,”

“Is he your boyfriend again…?” Carina asked from the table.

“Ummm…. We don’t want to label it yet.” She answered, returning to the kitchen for coffee.

“Why?” It seemed pretty obvious to Carina that they were together. 

“Because the last time, we did it too quickly and it ended up badly, so… look I don’t know. I have to go to work.” Amy rushed to her room to take a shower, leaving Carina shaking her head. 

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Laurie was packing some stuff for a week. His friends were reuniting in Zurich. He hadn’t been there in a while, and after a few efforts of convincing, he agreed. 

“It’s the first time we can meet, Mark thought it’d be a good idea,” Turns out his college friends were all in Europe, some working, and others had the luxury of vacations. Really Laurie was the one who chose to study a Masters. A few were thinking about it, but since they already have a job, they weren’t rushing anything. Plus, there was this party where he might see other friends from his internship. What could go wrong?

“You’ll be fine,” Amy reassured him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see them, maybe a little. He never told them about his relationship with Amy. He didn’t know if he should. Plus, he would have preferred to spend the April holidays with Amy. 

“Can I have a picture of you?” He asked hesitantly sitting on the desk.

“You already have a few,” Amy said as she continued folding clothes. 

“I was thinking of something more personal, of you...unclothed.” 

“You want a picture of me naked?”

“Is that wrong?”

“No, sure. You can have it.”

“I’d delete it.”

“Why? What’s wrong about my hypothetical picture?”

“Nothing. It’s for you, for your privacy and reassurance.”

“Oh, can I get one of you?” She responded sitting on the bed.

“You don’t want a picture of me naked.”

“I do. I have to rely on memory when you’re not here. It’s only fair.”

“Alright,” he walked towards her, pulling her to lay on her back and kissed her. “I’m going to miss you,” he said, as he pulled her shorts and panties down.

“I’ll miss you too. It’s only a week,” she moaned as he entered her.   
  


* * *

“Amy! Can I see you in my office?” Her boss called her while she was arranging some documents for an exhibition.

“Listen, we are doing some remodeling, some rooms need work and that tightens the budget. I’m sorry Amy. We need to let go of a few people, it’s just temporal,”

“Right,” Amy nodded, visibly worried. She couldn’t believe her stupid luck. Laurie had suggested staying the summer in there since he applied for an internship. Carina was leaving for Milan. Like always, but she figured her paycheck would be enough to pay the rent. Plus, there were a few events that she would have loved to assist. Now that possibility was gone. She was not going to run to Aunt March and ask for money. 

"We still want you with us after summer," her boss said, trying to make the situation better.

  
  
  


“I can’t look for another job in the middle of exams. I haven’t finished my projects,” she sat with Carina in the living room. 

“I can sublet the apartment for you, I’ll be back at the end of August.”

“Thanks,” Amy said, although it did little to make her feel better. “That’s it, I’ll have to go back home,” she said. She had bought her round plane ticket when she left Concord. 

“Just, stay with Laurie.”

“No.”

“What’s the big deal? You already spend four nights a week with him.”

“We don’t live together.”

“You think if you tell him that you need a place to stay he’d say no. You think it’d scare him away?”

“Shit, no!” She reacted quite agitated. “I just don’t want to put that on the table yet.”

“God, dammit, Amy. Fine, do whatever you want. I don’t understand you,” Carina left her. To be honest Amy didn’t understand herself sometimes. She always had trouble with her economic status, which provoked a sense of inferiority. It was crazy, but sometimes, she asked herself if Laurie was friends with them because he had no other choice. When he arrived at Concord, he didn’t fit very well and Jo was the one who made the first move and invited him to their home. For Amy, it was so strange to see this super-rich boy with them. She often asked herself why he would be interested in them, they were poor and had little to offer. And it got worse because he and his grandfather were so generous. The whole family was grateful, but Amy was a little bugged by it. She hated pity and patronizing, and she knew that was not what the Laurences were doing, but still. It’s not nice to be known for being poor. Amy thought that the scholarship and the job would help her feel better. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


“Can you believe we’re all with jobs? We are functional members of society!” Mark exclaimed. “Well, most of us.”

“Oh, shut up. You sound like my father,” Harry of the group protested. 

  
  


“I would hate to go back to school. I’m done, why would you do that?” Harry asked.

“Deep down, he is a nerd. Aren’t you? Top of the class,” Tudor mentioned. It was quite a shock for all of them when Laurie graduated with honors. They knew he was smart but that was a high honor. 

“You also want to do one,” Laurie reminded him.

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Why would you choose Florence, when you were in Zurich?” Tudor asked Laurie. It was true, Florence was not the first choice for a graduate of business. 

“Had a good program, it’s a nice city.”

“Isn’t Amy March there, too?” 

“There’s your answer,” Sean said without thinking first. 

“What?” 

“Nothing,” Laurie said too quickly.

“Oh my God! So it’s true?”

“What?”

“People saw you together in Paris, you know? Parker is going to flip!” Tudor laughed. “Hey, we should all go to Florence to say hi.”

“No, he won’t. And no, you won’t go. What do you want, a show? Come on, it’s not a big deal!” Laurie tried to calm his friends. “Can we talk about someone else’s lives, I beg you?” His friends showed mercy and let it go for a while. But honestly, they couldn’t forget about it. For a lot of them, Amy was one of their first crushes or at least a girl they liked to follow around in Concord. 

  
  


After Laurie returned from a party, his phone buzzed. He was exhausted, but it was Amy so he couldn’t ignore it. Amy didn’t send him the photo he asked for. Instead, she decided to send him a drawing of herself. _You can have the original next time you come,_ she texted. 

  
  
  


* * *

Laurie came back and things got to be normal for a couple of weeks. He didn’t mention his friends, because to him it wasn’t that important. “It all went well,” he told Amy. For her part, she avoided discussing her issues. She told him that she wasn’t working during summer, that the museum needed to redirect the budget. He was sorry but didn’t ask her anything else. Meanwhile, Carina kept pressuring Amy to tell Laurie about it. 

  
  


So one day, after they watched a movie at his apartment, she decided it was time. As they finished washing the plates, she started talking.

“I don’t think I’m going to be here for the summer…” she started. He stopped drying a glass and looked at her. “I can’t pay the rent and I’m not asking Aunt March for any more money. Besides, Carina is returning to Milan and she’s subletting the apartment. So...”

“When?” He said, tightening his jaw. 

“As soon as I finish classes.”

“Two weeks from now. You’re going back to Concord, then?” 

“Yeah, I think.”

“Well... I can’t go back. I already accepted the internship.”

“I know... I guess you’ll want to see other people?”

“I guess.” She answered quietly. What was she saying? There was an awful silence between them. Laurie stayed there, hearing the door slammed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story of the naked picture is actually a very painful one in Normal People...like it’s really awful, but I couldn’t do that here. So I took inspiration from Portrait of a Lady on Fire and wrote the scene. I hope you liked it. I don’t know what’s your opinion on pictures, but it’s a reality that people exchange them. Just be very careful if you ever decide to do it, and if it ever reaches one of them to you, don't share them!!!! 
> 
> I promise there will be a happy ending. As soon as these idiots learn to communicate successfully.
> 
> Oh, btw, I wrote a quick one-shot called "Hiding my heart away", based on the song of the same name by Brandi. If you like angst and are up to a not-so-happy ending, I would love to read your thoughts on it :)


	13. Three months later (August, 2013)

**Concord, Massachussetts**

Amy found herself in the yogurt section trying to decide what flavor she wanted. She was back at Concord. Time moved so slowly without sketches to deliver or work at the museum. Life in the small town was uneventful as always. She was now talking to Anette who got a temporal job back at home at the French Ministry of Culture. The work was mainly administrative and she didn’t sound very enthusiastic about it, but it was something. Amy remembered that Anette had talked to her about this program where artists are able to paint the Cathedral just as Monet did. She had been excited to visit Paris again and try it. Of course, now that chance was long gone. 

She had passed through all of the corridors and she was bored as hell but it was raining outside. She walked towards the door to see if the rain had stopped when she saw him. At the same moment, he looked straight at her, almost as if he knew she was there. Time stood for a second as they looked at each other in shock, neither of them moved. She thought the next time they were going to see each other it was going to be awkward. He did too. Maybe they also thought it was going to be easier than last time or that they were going to be able to act it up in front of everyone. And just like last time, the moment they lay eyes on each other, all those feelings came up one more time. To be honest, they never left. 

  
  
  
  


“You’re back?” Amy asked as he drove towards their street. There was no use in denying his offer of a ride. The storm was getting worse and she needed to go back. 

“I wanted to be here for Beth. Grandfather is very proud, so I thought I could come.”

“You could have texted me.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d answered.” He said without taking his eyes off the road. 

“It was just weird to see you here all of a sudden. You could have warned me.”

“Warn you?”

“You know what I mean.”

“It was a surprise for her, so...”

“You’re with Parker now. I hear. That’s nice of you, he’s always liked you.” Sean had told him about it over Skype. He wasn’t angry… maybe a little bit. He knew, everyone knew, that Parker had been infatuated by Amy since he saw her seven years ago. Of course, back then Amy never showed any sign of reciprocity. More than often she would avoid him and whenever she was forced to face him, she was nice but never enough to give him the wrong impression. And then, she began dating Fred and others, and Parker just gave up. 

“I’m just giving him a chance. Maybe I judge him too soon. I’ve been wrong before.” She replied. She wasn’t lying completely, but she wasn’t saying the real reasons either. Oh no, cause telling the truth would imply accepting that their break up screwed with her more than she was able to admit and that she was still bitter at him for not even suggesting she could stay with him. It was like he didn’t care if she stayed or not. If he really would have wanted her there, he would have said something, right?

The thing with Parker started as a one-night stand after a party. Parker was there and it was nice to feel loved and treasured. And although that wasn’t something Amy usually did, she could have left it there and moved forward. She could have done that with any other man, but Parker… How could she dump someone who had adored her for so long, and make him feel used? She just couldn’t. So she gave in, accepted the dates, the flowers, the kisses, and more. Parker didn’t make her feel safe and confident, and her knees didn’t feel weak when he was near nor she blushed whenever he told her how beautiful she was, but he tried. Probably, he was trying too much which just intensified Amy's guilt. 

“What about you? Are you seeing anyone?”

“No.”

“Embracing the single lifestyle.” She said sarcastically.

“Yeah. You know me.”

“I did, once.” She said coldly. He turned to look at her but she undid the seatbelt ready to leave. 

“Look, if you don’t want to be friends, that’s fine. But I think we should at least try to be civil around our families.”

“Of course, I want to be friends,” she said, softening her tone.

“Ok.”

“You want to come in?”

“No.”

“It would be weird if you don’t.”

“Tell them I have something to do. I’ll come after dinner.”

“Thanks for the lift.” She nodded, leaving him in that cold car. 

  
  
  


As soon as he got back, his grandfather had questioned him about that. “I thought you were back together again?”

“Not really,” he answered. “We were seeing each other.”

“You kids, I’ll never understand. In my time, everything was much more formal. Either you were together or not.”

“We’re friends.”

“She’s dating this boy, Parker?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you ok with that?”

“Totally.” 

* * *

Not every day, a girl from a small town in Massachusetts got the honor of performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for being one of the most talented students about to graduate. Beth received the news just before the end of the academic year and had kept it a surprise for when Amy came back. So, there was something good about having to come back for the summer. 

It was a very elegant evening. Jo hated formal occasions but she would do anything for her sweet sister. And Amy had to do the same, faking smiles and hugs when Laurie appeared. Everyone sat in the same row, except for Jo and Laurie. Their seats were just behind the rest. Everything seemed pretty normal. 

The orchestra was already there, checking that their instruments were perfectly tuned as the people took their seats. Meg and Amy were chatting and smiling. The kids had stayed with John’s mother for the weekend because they weren’t going to stay quiet during the performance so there was no point in bringing them. And honestly, they needed some time off their children. The noises stopped as the lights went off and the director came out. Everyone applauded. Just then, Amy turned backward and caught Laurie. They didn’t smile at each other exactly, but there wasn't any anger either. 

The concert began and the students performed masterfully. They left Beth for the closing piece, which was the highest honor. She was wearing a beautiful lilac dress that Marmee did herself. She looked beautiful as she bowed gratefully at the audience and took her place in front of the piano. 

Laurie wanted to pay attention to the concert, truly. Just every now and then his eyes would travel to Amy. She didn’t look back again, but she could feel him. Not only her. During the concert, Jo noticed Laurie’s head tilted right side. She noticed when she wanted to say something to him and caught him. At first, she wanted to hit him for not paying attention. That was until she noticed his gaze went farther and landed on the head of her little sister. Well, that was odd.

After the concert, they offered a cocktail. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, drinking and chatting more. Marmee couldn’t stop taking pictures of Beth and her friends and sisters. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Jo returned to Laurie who was acting like a wallflower. 

“Nothing,” he said, drinking from his glass. They saw Amy exciting the room for a moment. 

“Ugg, I bet it is Parker calling her.” Jo teased but Laurie remained silent. “Honestly, I don’t understand why Amy is dating him, he’s so desperate!” Laurie just nodded. Of course, Parker would be desperate, he had been waiting for this for years! “Did you know he’s staying in Europe after the summer?” That was new, although completely expected. Amy was the kind of woman that made men do crazy things. He himself has traveled 6 hours on a train every weekend to see her, and then he chose Florence because of the program but also because of her. He couldn’t blame Parker for doing the same. He just wished things didn't get awkward.

“Did you guys fight or something?”

“What! No.”

“Because you are in the same city, and you have barely talked to each other here...”

“As you said, she’s dating someone. Besides, we are both busy, we don’t hang out all the time.” He tried to brush off the topic. Jo, as merciful as she could be sometimes, dropped the subject. Her best friend was here for the weekend and she didn’t want to argue. 

After the cocktail ended, they all went back to Concord and had a little party at Laurie’s mansion, his grandfather decided to stay in Boston to visit some friends. Which meant they had the house for themselves and although they weren’t going to throw a big party, they did invite friends and brought drinks. For a few hours, Amy and Laurie were able to enjoy the time in Concord, staying away from each other, of course. Parker arrived and Amy dedicated her attention to him and Laurie turned to the alcohol. Even Jo got worried about his drinking, but he didn’t listen. 

The party ended past midnight. Beth went to sleep two hours before. Amy put on her coat and walked with Parker towards the door. 

“I’m tired. I’ll just go see if Jo wants to go or if she’s staying.”

“Right,” Parker replied calmly and kissed her. “Good night.”

“Text me when you get there.” 

Contrary to a couple of hours ago, the house was empty. She heard the echo of her heels walking around the house looking for her sister. She found her on the couch of the library. She tried to wake her up, but her big sister was out. As she made her way out, she heard glass breaking in the kitchen.

“Hey,” Amy said, recognizing the figure in the dark room. The only light came from outside through the window. “Are you ok?” 

“I broke a cup,” he said, in a very drunken state, leaning on the kitchen table. “I’m sorry. I’m so drunk.”

“Your pupils are huge.”

“They’re always huge when I see you.”

“Ah, you must be really drunk.”

“What do you mean?” Amy didn’t answer. 

“Jo is the library, she wouldn’t wake up,” she mentioned and he nodded. “Goodbye, Laurie.”

“I saw you with Parker,” Laurie said, making Amy stop. Both stayed silent. “You could have a different boyfriend, you know? I mean, from what I hear all men fall in love with you. They all drop everything to come to see you wherever you are."

"Stop talking, Laurie, you're so drunk." 

“People love you or hate you.” He stated because it was true. Amy had that kind of personality that forced people to take sides. Maybe she was too realistic, too focused that sometimes, people thought of her as cold and calculating. 

“Mhm… but you don’t hate me,” she replied almost like a question because in her mind, he didn’t love her so hate was the other alternative by his description. 

“No,” he snorted. “I would rather you dated anyone else, really Amy. You have no idea how he talks when there are no women around .”

“Why do you care?” she asked quite annoyed. 

“Do you love him?”

“Please, Laurie. You want a heart to heart talk with me now?”

“It's just rather odd for you to be with someone you feel nothing for.”

“Who says I have no feelings for Parker?”

“Come on. You think if you date him long enough you’ll start falling for him?”

“Not every relationship starts with passion. I believe you can work to get there.” He shook his head because he knew she was lying. 

“I probably should have said something before, but I'm seeing someone, been with her for a couple of months," he confessed. "Her name is Helena, she’s a law graduate." He watched Amy biting the inside of her mouth like she tended to do every time she was angry and didn’t want to show it. 

“Why are you trying to make me break up with Parker?”

“I’m not. I just want you to be happy...”

“Cause you’re such a good friend? That’s it,”

“Yeah,” but Amy burst into tears. "Shit, Amy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." 

"Leave me alone, Laurie. Please." She said turning to the counter, not wanting to face him. 

"I'm sorry." He said, refusing to leave. He gently touched her back, but she stepped away. 

"You know, I never knew what happened between us," Laurie said. "I keep going back… I can't find the moment when it ended. We didn't even have a fight... You said you were going back to Concord after we talked about spending the summer there and then you wanted to see other people…" Laurie said. But Amy only shocked her head with tears on her eyes. 

"No," Amy said quietly.  "I went back because I couldn't pay rent. I lost my job, Laurie. I was actually hoping that I could stay with you." She said looking down. 

"You never… you never said anything about wanting to stay…” Suddenly he wasn't so drunk anymore.  


“I was embarrassed. I didn't want to ask for money, or appear desperate and seem like I was pushing you to live together.”

“Pushing me? Are you kidding? Having you there would have been… Of course, always." He wanted to hug her, to kiss her. To apologize for being so blind and hadn't offered her to stay with him. But he couldn't. They both had partners and it wouldn't be right. He might never love his girlfriend like he loved Amy, but he cared for her a lot. And he definitely was not a cheater.

"I need to go." Amy left as fast she could. She cried before falling asleep because if only she had said something, open her fucking mouth, they would be together. It was too late now.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to update this weekend, because homework and stuff, but Timothee just started to follow Florence on instagram. I don't know why that is so important, I know some people find it ridiculous, but I'm happy about it. Plus, Florence starts production on Don't Worry Darling. And, I read Timothee's interview for GQ and it is awesome.


	14. Three months later (November, 2013)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very awkward Thanksgiving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry if this took longer than expected. I’m on exams week, it’s not as heavy as I expected, but still ugh. Anyway, here it is.  
> It is a recurrent theme in Normal People that Marianne is incapable of getting decent boyfriends, for understandable reasons. Well, Amy also seems to be incapable of choosing a good man after Laurie.   
> For those of you who like bookParker, I'm sorry, but this story needs a Jamie (If you have seen/read Normal people, you’d understand).

**Florence, Italy**

Laurie went back to Florence to his new girlfriend, while Amy stayed with Parker. At least, the conversation in the kitchen eased things between them as they tried to stay friends and respect each other's partners. Parker and Laurie were never going to be as close as they were before, not that they were the best friends before. Actually, they barely talked after graduation. A few messages here and there, but nothing more.

In contrast, Amy found that Helena was actually a sweet girl. It was one of those people who you really want to hate, but couldn’t. She was kind and sincere. She knew nothing about art, but she never dismissed it. She was pretty too, with her chestnut long hair and she wasn’t so pale as Amy. She figured it out Laurie must have said something to her about their past relationship. So, Amy wasn’t sure if her kindness was her trying to be cool about her boyfriend being friends with his ex or if she genuinely was like this. She wouldn’t blame her if Helena was jealous, she would too. On the plus side, Jo liked her, which was a huge triumph because she generally hated every single one of his girlfriends. 

And it’s not that they became the best of friends or anything close to that, but they would exchange a few pleasant words whenever they saw each other. Definitely not the tense environment that reigned whenever Laurie and Parker were in the same room. A situation like the one they were in now. It was Thanksgiving again and the girls offered her apartment to have a reunion as it became a tradition. They still couldn’t cook much, but there was definitely an improvement. 

Laurie arrived on time with a bottle of wine. He dragged Ernest along with him, one of his closest friends in the university. He was aware of the whole fiasco of last semester between him and Amy.

“Hey!” Carina greeted the boys and let them in. She thanked them for the wine and they made their way to the kitchen where Amy was preparing the food, as Parker was already drinking.

“Hi,” Amy smiled at them.

“Thanks for having us,” Ernest said. “I really wanted to see how a Thanksgiving day is.”

“You did tell them we are improvising, right?” Amy asked Laurie and they shared a smile that didn’t go unnoticed by Parker. 

“No Helena?” Carina asked.

“She has partial exams,” Laurie explained. “Hi, Parker.”

“Laurie,” he replied.  


  
  


“Alright, the food’s ready!” Amy announced, internally hoping those two could hold it together. 

“Do you mind opening this? My hands are wet,” Amy said, giving the bottle to Laurie. 

“Not at all.”

“These glasses are all different,” Parker noticed, kind of annoyed. 

“Well, we don’t have a full set here. Xavier brought some to complete it.” Carina replied. 

“Is that a problem?” Amy asked. One of the things she found out really bothered her about her boyfriend was how ignorant he could be sometimes. Like he was rich and expected everyone else to be the same. 

“No.”

“Smells delicious,” Ernest commented to decrease the tension.

“Aw, thanks.”

“So, Amy told us your job is to go around Europe to talk to clients?” Xavier asked Parker.

“Yes,”

“Sounds amazing!” Ernest said. “What’s your favorite city? I love Berlin and Amsterdam, but I only stayed there for a few days. I want to do backpacking across all Europe!”

“Why would you want to spend your days on trains and hostels?” Parker snorted.

“For the experience,” Ernest replied. “You learn more about the culture that way, I think. And you meet new people.”

“Has Amy taken you to every single museum here?” They all laughed.

“What’s wrong with that!” Amy protested, acting as if she was offended. 

“Did she give you a class on the Medici?” Annette added to the conversation.

“What’s the point of living in the city of the Renaissance if you're not going to enjoy it.” 

“I’ll stay with the planes, thank you. Better than to spend your whole days on a guide book.”

“Well, thank fuck for scholarships, eh?” Xavier intervened.

“Sure. I'd cheers to that.” Amy replied. 

“We should take a trip to Prague one weekend.”

“Sounds great!”

“Ah, that'll be perfect. I've never been in Eastern Europe,” Xavier mentioned.

“Shocker,” Parker mentioned as Amy noticed that his glass was constantly being refilled.

“Hey, maybe we can do it on April vacations!”

“I want to see the Slav Epic,” Annette mentioned.

“Why are we bothering with Prague?” Parker asked unimpressed.

“Yeah, sure, that's what everyone says, right? Fuck, Prague.”

“Just weird languages and hookers.” Everyone looked at their food at Parker’s comment. Amy looked very nervous. “We're literally gonna go and sit in a train for two hours to look at art through a million people's camera phones.”

“You do know what we study, right?”

“God forbid you might actually encounter an Eastern European woman, Parker,” Laurie mentioned. 

“Well, you must know quite a few,” Parker mentioned.

“What?” Ernest asked.

“Laurie knows what I mean,” of course Parker was referring to Laurie’s days of drinking and fooling around. Amy got even tenser. She hated remembering that part of Laurie’s life when he was lazy and a disaster. It’s not really fair to keep bringing back past mistakes, especially when he had done so much progress. 

“It’s just a fun way of spending time with friends, you know?” Xavier turned back to the trip.

“I'm gonna go get dessert.” Amy stood up, visibly upset. 

“Or, you can stay here making your girlfriend angry after she spent the whole day cooking dinner for you,” Xavier mentioned. 

  
  


“Are you all right?” Carina followed her. “Amy,” But Amy kept preparing the plates without saying anything. “Are you gonna say anything?”

“About what?”

“Are you serious? What is even happening?” Carina was getting a bit desperate at Amy’s silence. "It's horrible in there, isn't it?" 

"Right, sorry." 

"Listen, Amy, I know you and Laurie are trying to be friends, but did you have to invite him?"

"What else could I do, leaving him alone on Thanksgiving?" 

"If I were Parker I would also be pissed off. I mean he's not my favorite person but he adores you."

“Can you bring the forks?”

“Ah, yes!” Ernest exclaimed when he saw the tiramisu coming. 

“Carina made it.”

“My mother taught me.”

“You girls are awesome. I’m going to hang out here more often,” Ernest joked.

“He just wants free food,” Laurie said.

“An Italian dessert on an American holiday?” Parker asked. This was his fourth, fifth glass of wine?

“Well, this whole dinner wasn’t exactly the traditional Thanksgiving… and we are in Italy,” Amy replied and Parker snorted. There was little Amy could tolerate at this point. So she just stood up and went to her bedroom. 

“Jesus,” Parker followed her.

  
  


“Ok ok, I’m sorry for mocking at the stupid dessert.”

“You think this is about that? We all just want to enjoy dinner and you are the only one who can’t behave himself!”

“What the fuck is he doing here?!”

“It’s Thanksgiving, Parker. Besides, he’s not the one making everyone uncomfortable.”

“He could have gone somewhere else. You didn’t have to invite him.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Why?!”

“Because he’s family! Regardless of what happened between us, he’s still part of my family. He lives in front of my house and he’s my sister's best friend and  _ my friend. _ ”

“That’s bullshit!”

“It’s not!” Amy raised her voice too. “I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. It’s how it’s going to be Thanksgiving and the Holidays...and you knew that.”

“We’re spending Christmas and New Year with my family.”

“What?!”

“Yes, they’re coming to Paris.”

“You never told me that.”

“I’m telling you now.”

“I don’t want to go to Paris! I’m going to stay here. I already have plans, Flo is coming, we’re having dinner here. I told you about this a week ago!”

“I heard, but my parents told me about it the other day and I assumed you’d be alright with it.”

“You assumed?”

“Sorry, ok, for thinking you might want to meet my parents.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to meet them, but I don’t like you making decisions for me!”

“This is not about Paris, is it? You want to stay here with him?”

“Don’t start again with this!”

“No, no. Seriously I’d like to know. Have you been fucking him behind my back?”

“Oh my God! Of course not!”

In the other room, everyone stayed silently, hearing the fight. They noticed the tone raising and raising from both of them. 

“Shut the fuck up!” They heard Amy screamed and Laurie had enough. He got up and went to them.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Laurie entered the room.

“Oh great, your knight in shiny armor is here.”

“Amy, are you ok?” Laurie ignored Parker’s comment, he only cared that Amy was crying. 

“I’m alright.”

“Hey, Laurie now I understand why you took so much care of her when we were in Concord. You wanted her all for yourself! You bastard, you were just waiting for her to ripe.”

“You’re drunk,” Laurie commented, although internally he wanted to punch the guy.

“Please, I’ll handle this.” Amy tried to remain calm. 

“Handle this? Oh, let me make it easier for you. I’m done. Fuck him or don’t. Whatever, I couldn’t care less about you. You’re worthless” He made his way out of the apartment. 

  
  


“What’s wrong with me?”

“Hey, don't let him get into your head. You’re fine. He’s the idiot” Laurie saw Carina standing at the door. She approached to take his place. It was better to leave Amy with her roommate. Xavier and Annette had already left and the boys grabbed their coats and went back to their apartments. 

  
  


“I’m sorry I ruined your friendship with Parker,” Amy mentioned one day. 

“Don’t be. We barely talked after college.”

“Do the rest of your friends hate me too now?”

“They shouldn’t. They know how Parker can get.”

“Well, I'm sorry if this causes problems among you guys.” It didn’t actually. Well, Parker did go on to say a few things about her and Laurie. There were those who told him “I told you”, and those who either didn’t care or Laurie didn’t care to listen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think about Amy’s actions? I don’t want to make her a saint and Parker a villain. He definitely is an idiot, but did he have reasons to be jealous? Relationships are messy.


	15. Three months later (March, 2014)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not the chapter I would have wanted to publish right after Trump was fired!!! I am so so so happy. It feels like a huge weight got off the world’s shoulders, doesn’t it? Although there are still problems, something got better. 
> 
> @lovelacegsl, "someday" is here! I got inspired these past days and was able to write a full chapter!
> 
> Anyway, this chapter deals with minor depression.

_ Hey, just calling to ask you if you’re spending the Spring holidays in Russia. I’ll stay here... I wish I could go there, but I really need to finish this thesis. And I just realized that this would be the first time that we don’t spend this time together, at least not since I was 15. Anyway, I miss you and take care.  _

Last December, Amy accepted an offer to spend next semester in Russia. She wished she could go back to Florence, but her budget was limited and there were so many things she was saving for. St. Petersburg was an amazing city and their supplies shop were of the highest quality. Plus, she decided to visit the Hermitage as many times as necessary to see every single work of art. That meant they were not going to see each other until his graduation. Ernest had told him he was going to miss her. At first, he dismissed that, it was only a semester. It wasn’t like she was going to stay there forever. Ernest gave him a look and rolled his eyes. It was until a few months later that he found himself checking his email daily for news from Amy. 

He talked about it with Sean. It was definitely not the longest he had been away from her. The first time she went to Paris, they didn’t see each other for six months! But now it was different. Back then, they were friends, great friends, but nothing more. Now they had been together as a couple twice. It was too soon for him to admit it, but he still loved her, he never stopped actually. 

For now, he can admit that he misses her, more than he expected. He smiles every time a notification with her name pops up, whether it’s an email, a Facebook notification, or an Instagram story. He’s very happy for her. 

  
  


Weeks passed and Amy’s load of work increases. These Russians are not playing games. She loves it, but it really gives small windows to enjoy herself. And she really wants to take as much as she can from the experience. Unfortunately, her messaging with Laurie decreases its intensity. Not that they had long conversations every single day, but now sometimes it takes her a few hours to reply back. She apologizes and he says it is fine.

  
  
  


But things are not fine in Florence. He tries, but sometimes life just hits you multiple times right at the same moment and it’s too much for anyone. And it's worse because not only does it make you deal with the immediate things, but it pulls out long-buried issues you thought you had forgotten. 

On a lazy and uneventful afternoon, Laurie received a call that made him shiver.

“Laurie?”

“Jo,”

“How are you?”

“I’m alright. Got a few things to deliver this week. Why?” He asked as he could sense something strange in her voice. 

“Are you alone?”

“No, Helena is here with me.” He heard Jo breathing heavily. “What is it?!”

“Your grandfather is in the hospital,” Laurie froze. “He’s recovering, but he had a heart attack and he’s staying a few days in the hospital to make sure he’s going to be ok.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, Laurie. But the doctors think he’s going to recover successfully. Although he’s going to require treatment and...”

“What does that mean? Is he going to have another heart attack?!” He felt Helena hugging his shoulders as she looked worryingly at him.

“I don’t know. We’ll watch him.”

“I’m coming back...”

“No, he wants you to stay.”

“Jo!”

“Listen, I know you’re scared, but he’s not alone. We’ll be with him, I promise. You have to stay and finish your Master's. It’s what he wants.” Jo’s heart broke, even more, hearing Laurie cry. “I’m calling Amy, she’s closer.”

“She’s in Russia,” 

“It’s still closer.”

  
  


Jo didn’t have to say it twice before Amy was going back to spend a weekend with him. His friends had been supportive, Helena tried to comfort him. And for the most part, they succeeded. He was lucky to have them and he appreciated each of them. However, no one was able to fully understand the situation. If he was asked, he would be incapable of describing the relief and safety that seeing Amy provoked him. She appeared at his doorstep one morning. He hugged her tightly, maybe for too long. Enough for Helena to notice something strange. Because of course, she was there. 

“He’s going to be okay,” Amy said.

“Thanks for being here,” he said, stepping back. 

  
  
  
  


The truth is that Laurie truly loved Helena. She gave him a different way to see a relationship. Finally, he had a serious girlfriend, and he was able to say it out loud! With no regard for others’ judgment or of keeping secrets. He could tell her “I love you” as easily as any other thing. He had met her parents and enjoyed dinner with them, he could talk about her with Jo. Basically, he doesn’t have to watch out for people to see them. She was a sweet, funny, and very focused woman. He can’t say he didn’t have that with Amy, but there was something different in her. 

Amy and Helena met back in September when they were walking through the streets when they saw Amy walking opposite them. They had been talking a few times, nothing significant, but at least their conversation that night in July seemed to calm things down between them. 

“You must be Helena,” Amy said back then. This was not Laurie’s favorite moment, in fact, he would have avoided it if he had the chance. 

“So, you two are long time friends?” She asked once they went back to his place.

“We’re neighbors in Concord. She’s Jo’s sister.”

“And you two have always been just friends?” She asked, noticing some sort of awkwardness on him during their encounter with Amy. 

“We kind of dated in the past.”

“So, she’s your ex?” 

“Kind of...we never officially said something.”

“But you slept with her?”

“Yeah,” he confessed. “Does it bother you?”

“No,” her voice didn’t sound convincing. “I’m just curious. What was it, like friends-with-benefits?”

“I wouldn’t call it like that. We did go on dates two years ago and then we spent time together last year, but we never told people, at least not the ones who were with us here. Our families don’t know anything.”

“She looks very sophisticated.”

“She likes fashion… Look, I’ve known her since we were kids and our families are very close.”

“It’s ok, lots of people are friends with their ex”

“Yeah well, I was friends with her before dating her so really we just went back to where we were normally.” Helena hummed and smiled.

Usually, Helena was a confident woman, or at least that’s how she conceived herself. But after learning about Laurie and Amy’s relationship, she found herself making an extra effort to be nice to Amy. Not that she wanted to be Amy’s friend, but she made sure to compliment her any time they saw each other. Amy didn’t make much of it.

  
  


* * *

Back in December, Helena came to be somewhat annoyed at Amy at a party. They found themselves arguing about the next US elections that evolved into a discussion about the far-right, and Amy seemed to have a lot to say. 

“God, Amy sometimes is so self-absorbed,” Helena commented on their way back home. 

“Because she talks about politics? She doesn't speak about it anyway” He heard her shrugged. 

“Please, she honestly cares about all of that?”

“Yes, and so am I. I know politics is not everyone’s cup of tea, and believe me it's not hers. But it's important to talk about it. Her family has always been very interested in all of this, Amy is actually the light one in these matters.”

“It sounds like she has to say something always. Like she needs to be heard.”

Laurie frowned at this. He knew for a few years, Amy struggled with attention. He couldn’t blame her totally, being the youngest of four meant that there were a lot of voices on the table and hers was not the most attractive. The problem being the “baby” of the family is that they will always treat you like a baby, even when you’re 20 or older. Also, it didn’t help that Amy’s thoughts were much more practical and realistic than the ones of the rest of the family. So, yes, she liked to be heard but that didn’t mean that she didn’t listen to others, nor that her opinions were dishonest. 

“No, I don’t think so.”

“She seems to like your attention especially,” There, that was the real reason why she was angry.   


“I didn’t sense that,” She looked at him with disbelief. Thankfully, she dropped the subject. Although what followed made him wish she would have stopped talking completely about Amy.

“Everywhere we go, she’s always flirting with like ten guys,” she noted.

“Yeah, that’s normal. She’s good at it, so...” he said casually.  


“Talking about craving male approval.”

“I don’t think that’s it. Since she’s in high school, she has always had luck. They came on their own, she doesn’t really have to call them.”

“You mean she’s always acted slutty?”

“No,” he said after a pause. He just couldn’t believe what she was saying. He tended to forget that she came from a very conservative family and that sometimes created disagreements among them. “Look, she’s my friend.”

“I’m always nice to her,” she excused herself.

“Not now… if you’re only going to be nice only when she’s around, then that’s just hypocritical and misogynistic.”

“No wonder people talk about her...”

“Please,” he said in an annoyed tone. “Stop.”

  
  


* * *

Now Helena found herself kind of in the back seat, while Amy took the copilot place helping Laurie deal with his grandfather's heart attack. It had only been a day and a half that she visited, but it deepened many of Helena’s doubts and fears. 

  
  


“Are you sure you want to take a cab?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“Alright, thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for paying the ticket back,” Amy said after they hugged. “Anything, call me.” She thanked Helena and left the apartment.

  
  


A couple of weeks passed by and for the most part things run... normally? Laurie found himself tired all the time. He would receive daily updates on his grandfather’s condition from Jo, and still, he felt unsettled. He had a few projects to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to concentrate. He lost appetite and slept too much. In the eyes of strangers, he would look like any tired student, but his closer circle noticed the difference. 

After two years of good grades, he barely passed a quiz and his essay was not as well-received as the previous ones. Whenever his friends invited him to have dinner or just spend some time together, he would refuse. He even told Helena that he had too much homework as an excuse to not see her. And when he did accept, he would be quiet and slow, and not at all interested in doing more than just sleep. It began bothering her.

The only one who was able to see beyond that was Ernest. Maybe it was that they lived together and one night he heard him crying. 

“Is everything alright with you?”

“Yeah,” he said lazily.

“It’s just, you don’t look like yourself lately...”

“I don’t know,” he rubbed his face with both hands. He was feeling anxious, anxious for not being able to function as he usually did. “I feel tired all the time, I’m always worried and anxious...”

“Maybe you should seek help...” Ernest suggested hesitantly. Because it's always scary to imply that someone needs psychological help. Some people reacted offended at the implication that something is wrong with them mentally. But he knew better and Laurie was his friend and he obviously needed help. Laurie didn’t react badly to it, he just stayed silent. “You could go to the school’s counselor.”

  
  
  


“Hello, Theodore,” A woman in her 40s sat across him. “You asked for a consult,”

“A friend said it could be a good idea...”

“Is there a reason why he would recommend that? How are you feeling?”

“Not great.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Can you tell me more about it? When did you start feeling like this?”

“Umm...about a month ago...”

“Did something happen back then or did it come out of nowhere?”

“My grandfather had a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“He’s recovering, but...”

“Where is he? You’re American.” She said, looking at his profile. 

“He’s in Concord... Massachusetts.”

“It is difficult to be far away from home, especially during this sort of situation. And that sometimes sparks feelings of guilt for not being there. But what happened was not your fault in any way.”

“We were never close… I think part of him has always hated me,” he said, head down. 

“Why would you think he hates you?”

“My father ran away to marry my mom. He left him out of his will. I had no idea who he was until my parents died. He sent me to boarding schools until I was 15 years old and went to live with him.I think he only began to be nice because we started hanging out with our neighbors.”

“Have you ever talked to him about how you feel?” Laurie shook his head. 

“What about other people… A boyfriend,or girlfriend?”

“No, none of that,” he answered quite easily. About a week ago, Helena insisted on cooking for him. He was grateful and everything, but he just didn’ have energy. 

_ “You weren’t tired of following Amy around when she came,” she noted. _

_ “She came from Saint Petersburg! What did you want me to do, ignore her?!” _

_ “You stare at her!” she raised her voice. _

_ “I do not!” Helena shrugged. “Why do we have to reach this point every time? She's my friend, I thought we were clear on that.” _

“Any friends in the city?”

“Yeah, I have some. Ernest, he’s the one who told me to come.”

“That’s good. He cares about you.”

“Anyone else who might help that is close or maybe you can call?”

“My best friend Jo is in New York. We can’t talk all the time, but at least once a week we have a video call.” He saw as the woman wrote down the names. He remained silent for a while. 

“There’s also Amy.”

“Is Amy a friend from college?”

“No, she’s Jo’s sister, but we are good friends too… actually she studies here too. But this semester she’s in Saint Petersburg. They are my neighbors back in Concord, we used to spend a lot of time together with another two of their sisters. It was nice.”

“I suppose they know about your grandfather’s condition.”

“Yes, Jo and Beth sent me updates and Amy came one weekend to visit me.”

“Seems like they care a lot about you.”

  
  
  


Laurie kept going to therapy. Turns out he had quite a few things buried in his mind. The psychologist encouraged him to talk with his friends about his situation. Now he talks to Jo and Amy on a daily basis. He had other friends, but he only felt comfortable with them. He guessed at some point the girls talk to each other on how they can keep an eye on him. Their schedules allowed them to stay online most of the day. 

Amy took him on a tour through the city and especially took him to the Hermitage and other places. She was enjoying her time in Russia so much and somehow that made him feel better. She even joked and showed off the few words and phrases she was able to learn. Jo read to him her new stories. 

At some point, he mentioned his love for music so he was now composing small pieces. He doesn’t think they are particularly good or anything, and he is not expecting to make a career or earn any money from them. But not because his career had taken a different turn, he had to stay away from music. 

“They’re beautiful,” Amy tells him over Zoom once she convinced him to send them to her. 

  
  
  
  


**Concord, Massachusetts**

It was not usual for Jo and Amy to team up like that. Most of their childhood they spent fighting with each other, sometimes physically. But secrets tend to have an expiration date and to Laurie and Amy's relationship, it reached a month before the whole issue of Laurie's depression hit. Sally Moffat offered a New Years party and Meg dragged Jo with her.

“Hi, Parker.”

“Ladies.” He said, raising his glass, clearly drunk.

“How was Europe?”

“Eh, not very special.” He said with indifference, as someone who’s been there enough times to render it ordinary.

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out between you and Amy.” Meg tried to continue the conversation, noticing Parker’s bitter reaction at her sister’s name. “Laurie is there too, I’m glad he's there with her, it can feel very lonely sometimes and Amy has never been away from us before,” Meg said, causing Parker to laugh on his drink. Everyone turned to look at him confused.

“Oh don’t worry. I’m sure Laurie is keeping her  _ very _ good company, showing her the world, taking  _ good _ care of her.” He said in a very sarcastic and mocking tone. He obviously didn’t know about the hell Laurie had been through. 

“What the hell does that mean?” Jo said angrily. Everyone understood well what he meant, though. Unfortunately, Parker left the sisters wandering alone. 

“Why did he say that?” Asked Meg.

“He’s drunk, and he’s always had a thing for Amy. He’s bitter because she never did.” Jo said quickly. The two sisters tried to enjoy the party after that, but when it was over, their minds went back home.

“I can’t forget what Parker said!” Jo said frustrated. “Laurie would never do such a thing. He’s Laurie.”

“What’s going on?” Beth said entering the room.

“Well, it doesn’t have to be something bad, not necessarily,” Meg said. 

“Amy and Laurie?!” Jo said incredulously. 

“What about them?” Beth said, sitting in one of the beds.

“When we were at the party, Parker implied that Amy and Laurie have been more than friends lately,” Meg explained.

“It’s ridiculous!” Jo said as she kept pacing in the room. 

“Why? Even you thought about it once.” Beth reminded her sister. “They’d be a cute couple.”

“Amy barely spoke of Laurie in the summer. Maybe that’s why he didn't come.” Meg said, tying loose trends. “Look, let’s not jump into conclusions and not make a big deal about this. People have always speculated that there’s something going on between Laurie and one of us.” Meg remembered the rumors running about her and Laurie years ago. 

“I guess you’re right,” Jo said, sounding calmer; although not convinced. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so weird how the mind works. I myself had gone through some weeks where I felt like shit and thankfully I came out of it. And it's so frustrating because you want to get better but you can't. But really, it's so important to get help. It doesn't make you weak and especially men tend to act like they are so strong. 
> 
> In the book, Connell's depression goes way farther than Laurie's, but I didn't want to kill Mr. Laurence nor give Laurie a deep depression. But still, I think Laurie has a lot of issues regarding the death of his parents and his relationship with his grandfather. 
> 
> Btw, thanks to @lovelacegsl for reminding me why I hated Helen in the book. 
> 
> I hope I was able to write this chapter rightly.


	16. Three months later (July, 2014)

**University of Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts**

“I don’t know why we are here,” Jo said moving anxiously, checking her watch as she and Amy walked around the table of a soirée. 

“Umm, because you were invited. This is amazing! We are among academic elite in the West Coast!”

“Since when are you academic?” Jo asked but Amy just hummed.

“What are you looking for?!” Amy got desperate as Jo kept looking around. 

“Nothing!” Jo brushed her off. “So, have you seen Laurie lately?”

“Nope,”

“Ha, I would imagine...”

“You would imagine nothing. Now, come on, you have to talk to someone, that’s what this thing is for, isn’t it?” Amy replied quickly. It’s not that she regretted coming clean to Jo, it’s just that now her sister wouldn’t let it go. 

**A month ago...**

_ “Hey Jo,” _

_ “Oh hey, guess what? Laurie is going to be working in Boston, so we all three are going to be there in summer.” _

_ “That’s great,” Amy said, truly excited but hesitant at the same time. It had been awhile since Laurie and she had been together back at home and if she was being honest, she didn’t know what to expect. Lost in her thoughts, she came back to see Jo watching her. “What?” _

_ “Nothing… it will be fun, right? The three of us together, maybe I’ll accept you two dragging me to parties like old times.” _

_ “Sure,” _

_ “I mean, you two had been together in Europe for the last two years, you sure are going to miss him.” _

_ “I… I haven’t thought about that…” _

_ “Mhm,...I would imagine you would, you two must have grown closer...right?” _

_ “Oh my God!” _

_ “I knew it!” _

_ “How the hell...” _

_ “Parker told us, you really dumped Laurie for that idiot?!” _

_ “I didn’t dump Laurie. And who is ‘us’? Oh my God, does dad know?” _

_ “The whole town knows, Amy!” _

_ “Oh Jesus, that explains a lot, actually…” Amy said thoughtfully. “Okay. Look, it just happened. I don’t know how but somewhere along the time when we were in Paris...” _

  
  
  
  


Jo wasn’t angry... only a bit. She couldn’t believe that her best friend and little sister hooked up and didn’t tell her about it. She kept asking why they broke up and she only got “it didn’t work”.

“Excuse me,” Jo said looking down, being dragged by her little sister. 

“Jo?” A deep masculine voice caught her attention, one that she came to know pretty well, even enjoyed.

“Friedrich,” she called back, tensing Amy’s hand forcing her to stop. Amy came to stand next to them quite intrigued by her sister’s sudden change of attitude. “Hi,” they both say and he went to kiss her both cheeks in European fashion. 

“I haven’t seen you in...”

“A while, I know.”

“Oh, this is my sister, Amy. This is Friedrich...umm… Professor Bhaer. He gave me a class in German literature.”

“Friedrich is fine,” He said, shaking Amy’s hand and smiling. “So, you’re the painter? Jo talked about her sisters… she showed me a few of your sketches.”

“Really?” She smiled at her sister who was trying to be chill about the whole thing. Her sister was a lot of things, but open to people was not one of those. “Yes, I am. Been studying in Florence for the last three years. I’m graduating next year.”

“Oh well, good luck!” He said. And from then on, his whole attention was devoted to Jo. Quite honestly, Amy felt a little lost in the conversation, but she wasn’t even listening to it. She was too busy looking at her sister’s hearty eyes. After some laughs and things that Amy didn’t quite understand, he was able to make a move. “So, Jo, have you registered for any lecture? I’m up for Dr. Ferguson talk, it starts in 20 minutes.”

“Yes, sure. I would love to. Amy...”

“Oh, no no no. I think I’m going to see the art gallery. You have fun in your… lecture.” She said, not wanting to be the third wheel the first time her sister shows interest in someone.

“I have to go check something. I’ll see you at the entrance?”

“Yes,” Jo replied, smiling brightly. “What?” She asked when she noticed Amy grinning like an idiot. 

“Wow, office hours must have been pretty good eh?”

“I don’t know why you would say something like that.”

“Come on, he’s hot!”

“He is my professor,  _ was _ my professor.”

“You are not his student anymore...convenient.”

“Stop it, Amy. I don’t know why I brought you with me.”

“Hey, I’m not judging. I’m happy for you, he seems just what you need. Have you seen him outside school?”

“He once took me home,” Jo confessed. “Why do you always have to think like that?”

“I’m sorry, I just think I’ve figured out how men usually think. He’s not that old for you. Father might be a little reluctant at first, but he’ll win him over, with his philosophical background and everything. Did you let him in?”

“I offered, but I guess he was being respectful,” Jo said with her head down. “At least I hope it was that and not that he finds me unattractive.”

“Judging by the way he was looking at you, he doesn’t. Maybe he’s just waiting for you to graduate.”

“What if I don’t want to wait for that much?”

“You should tell him. You are always very straightforward.”

“It’s different. You know I’ve never been good at relationships. I’m too odd.”

“You just have to find someone as odd as you. Do you want to have sex with him?”

“Yes, I never really wanted to do it before. But… if he says yes… What should I expect?”

“Well, it depends. Since it would be your first time, you should tell him. It’s better if he knows. He should be more careful.”

“Does it hurt?”

“A little. You’ll get used to it. It could be awkward and clumsy the first time. With practice, you’ll get better. I think it’s safe to say that he has experience, that helps.”

“I can’t believe I’m asking you for advice. You’re my baby sister!”

“Hey, I’m 23 and I’ve been having sex since 2009. So, drop the ‘baby’”

“You lost your virginity to Fred?”

“He lived on his own, so…” Amy explained. “I know you never like him, but he was a great guy to me. We loved each other and he took care of me. The important thing is that I trusted him and if you trust your professor things should be fine.”

  
  
  


With Jo gone, Amy really had nothing planned to do. So she went to wander around, but now she was taking coffee in a park and sketching the landscape. She was so lost on her drawing that she didn’t see someone approaching.

“The perspective is a bit weird, don’t you think?” A head popped up over her shoulder making her jump.

“God! What are you doing here?” She said, looking as he sat next to her on the bench. “Wait, how did you know I was here?”

“You posted the view and your location on Facebook… is that weird?”

“A little…”

“Well, I wouldn’t have to do that if you accepted my invitations to hang out.” She rolled the eyes. “What happened, did you get bored of all the lectures?”

“No, Jo met a friend and she went with him.”

“Jo has a friend?”

“She does and a pretty good one. Are you jealous?”

“Me?”

“You shouldn’t. It’s good, but in a different way.”

“Mhm, ok. So, want to eat something, a movie, my apartment...”

“No. Laurie...”

“Come on, what could possibly happen? Oh, I see, you don’t trust yourself, that’s sad.”

**A few weeks ago…**

_ Amy didn’t have to be asked twice to organize a party at Plumfield. Her aunt was an honorary member of the Art Association in Massachusetts since she was young. She had tried her nieces to join but only Amy was interested. It was a rather posh occasion and Amy dedicated her time to make her aunt proud. And proud she did, but in the end she was so tired.  _

  
  


_ “Hey,” Laurie whispered from the old library, sitting on one of Aunt March’s old furniture that the old lady had explicitly told him not to do. _

_ “God! What are you still doing here?” She said trying to be as quiet as possible.  _

_ “The party went well,” he pointed out. _

_ “Glad you like it. It was a hell to organize.” She said leaning next to him on the desk rubbing her neck as it hurt. “What?” she asked, noticing he was still watching her. _

_ “Nothing” _

_ Laurie looked at her and placed his left hand on her neck, massaging.  _

_ “What are you doing?” She asked puzzled. Although she finds herself unable to move away.  _

_ “You’re always so tense.” He said, pulling her to stand in front of him but keeping her turning her back from him. Gently he massaged her bare shoulders. He moved her hair and her body relaxed at his touch with such ease. He saw her arms get goosebumps.  _

_ “Laurie?” she asked weakly as he kissed her back. It was something simple but enough to make her moan quietly. He remained completely silent kissing her pulse point and feeling it rising. Meanwhile, Amy gasped and threw her head on his shoulder. She knew it was wrong to do this, here of all the places. Aunt March had gone to sleep a couple of hours ago, and she wouldn’t be awake until sunrise. And Estelle… she was a heavy sleeper, right? _

_ She turned her head to kiss him. Their kiss was so passionate that she had to turn or else she would seriously injure her neck. Her arms hugged his neck and she could feel his grip tightening on her back. It had been so long. The need for air forced them to stop. They looked at each other's eyes for a moment. Without saying a word, Amy went to lock the door while he worked on his tie and shirt. She went back to help him with his pants. Once that and her panties were off, he sat her on the desk and raised the skirt. He entered her quick and easy and she dug her nails on his skin to avoid screaming. It didn’t take them long to reach climax. They keep their foreheads together while trying to even their breathing.  _

_ “You can’t stay,” Amy told him. As much as she’d love to spend the night with him, what they had done was a transgression enough on Aunt March’s house.  _

  
  
  


“So that was it? A quickie in your aunt’s library?”

“That shouldn’t have happened. Laurie, you just came out of a relationship.”

“This is different. It always has been.”

“We can’t keep doing this.”

“But you liked it.” He said, smirking.

“This was a one-time thing.”

“One last round, better said,” he corrected her. She rolled her eyes but smiled. He took this as a good sign and moved his hand towards her face.

"What if someone sees?" 

"This is Boston, Amy. Nobody cares." He said caressing her jaw. "Enjoy the benefits of a big city." 

Amy allowed herself to enjoy the feeling before coming back to Earth. "No, no, no. Jo is here. Besides, we're both busy." 

"That was never a problem," Laurie smirked. 

  
  
  
  


Amy was a morning person, she liked starting her day bright and early, agenda on hand ready for the day. She could be quite obsessive sometimes. But every now and then she gave into relaxing activities… especially if they were pleasurable...

  
  


Amy heard Jo entering her room and panicked. “Amy!”

“Wait!” Amy rushed to close the bathroom door as Jo tried to open it.

“Hey!”

“Lady’s knock!” Amy protested. “Hang on,” she came out with a towel around her while she used another one for her hair. Her heart almost stopped when she saw part of a belt coming out from under the bed. 

“So…” She sat next to Jo on the bed, pushing the belt to hide it. 

“I talked to him. He says it would be better if we wait until we’re out of school.”

“Which will happen in a few months... You have never been a patient person.”

“I know. I’m just nervous. I have never done anything like it.”

“Everyone has to start somewhere. Nobody said relationships were easy, Jo.”

“Yeah yeah. This sucks, you know.”

“Oh, I know. But it also has its benefits.”

“Sure. I’m going to the store, you want anything?”

“I’m alright.”

Once Jo closed the door, Amy left out her breath and returned to the bathroom.

“What was that about?”

“Professor Bhaer. Can you talk to her? Tell her not to lose her head.” She answered, throwing him the towel. 

“I don’t like the guy, he’s too old for her.”

“Ten years. It’s alright. She’s just too impatient.”

“It’s a sister thing, then?” he smirked.

“Ugh, this has to end.”

“Why?” He asked although he knew she was lying. She said that every time they had sex. 

Most of the time, Amy’s paranoid turns out to be completely useless. But every now and then, the reasons are founded. That’s why Laurie should have looked around more carefully before exiting Amy and Jo’s building.

“Oh my God,” Jo said silently as she watched a wet-haired Laurie making his way to the opposite direction as he adjusted his suit. “That little minx.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must confess I don't know what to do next. I know exactly what has to happen in the next chapter, but I'm not sure how I'm going to connect this and the next chapter. The family has to know, that's for sure.


	17. Five months later (December, 2014)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t plan on writing this so soon to Christmas, but here we are.

**Concord, Massachusetts**

“Meg, can you help with the oven?!” The girls heard Marmee call from the kitchen.

“Yeah, coming.”

“What’s taking them so long?” Jo asked annoyed, kneeling next to Beth on the sofa behind the window.

“The tree is so pretty, Aunt Jo.” 

“Yes, it is, Daisy...” Jo turned to look at her nephews and went to sit on the floor with them.

Beth joined her sister and the children, until her phone buzzed for the tenth time, causing Jo to roll her eyes. 

“Seriously?”

“He’s checking in. Wishes us all a Merry Christmas.”

“Oh, thank you. It must be like 1 am in London.”

“They’re here!” Beth said excitedly when they saw the lights of a car turning into their yard. Both sisters climbed back to the sofa to see the street.

  
  
  


“Are you ready?”

“Suddenly I got nauseous.”

“It’s going to be fine, Amy.” Laurie placed his hand over hers.

“You’re right. ‘Cause they are the kind of family who would be discrete about this.”

“Come on, they’re waiting.”

  
  
  


“There you are! Aww, look at the two of you, like a Christmas miracle!” Marmee said opening the door as soon as they stepped on the porch.

“Hi!” They both replied smiley. “Merry Christmas, Marmee.” Amy hugged her.

“Merry Christmas, my dear! Oh, Laurie,” she moved to hug him. “Thank you for bringing my girl.” 

“Happy to be here,” they went to the living room to greet the rest of the family. 

  
  
  
  


**_August 2014, Boston_ **

_ “Let’s come clean,” Laurie says as they lay on his bed. Summer was almost over and the idea of having to be separated with no definitive status terrified him.  _

_ “What?” _

_ “With your family. Let’s explain everything and be together, as a couple.” _

_ “Are you sure?” _

_ “I love you, Amy. And I know you love me. Let’s just get this over and talk to them.” _

_ “Father will want to kill you after he learns that the rumors going on about us were true.” _

_ “He’s a forgiving man,” he said with confidence, then quickly doubted his words. “Right?” _

_ “He would be a horrible minister if he didn’t practice what he pitched,” Amy replied jokingly. Her smile was replaced by a concerned look. “We can tell them before I go to the airport and you come back to Boston.” _

_ “Sounds good.” _

_ “This won’t be like the first time. You won’t be a train away. We won’t see each other for months.” _

_ “It’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing.” _

  
  
  


Dinner went well. If you would have asked an outsider you would say it was perfect. Everyone was lovely, the food was delicious, and the conversation was entertaining. But if you had more information about Amy and Laurie, and their usual rapport even as just friends, you’d noticed things were a little bit off. 

As difficult as it was for the family to avoid giggling at the sight of the two lovebirds, they managed to behave. Actually, they really didn’t have to work as hard as they imagined they would. Truth is, Laurie barely held her hand or put his arm on the back of her seat. They smiled and talked but it wasn’t normal, Laurie wasn’t normal. Amy wasn’t expecting big displays of affection but, really? She thought coming clean was going to be mortifying, but it was liberating. It took a huge weight from her shoulders.

  
  


**_August 2014, Concord_ **

_ “You have everything ready for tomorrow.” _

_ “Yeah,” Amy looked at her mother fearfully. “Is dad here?” _

_ “He’s in the garden.” _

_ “Can we talk to you both?”  _

_ “We?” _

_ “Uh, yes...Laurie and I.” Marmee looked at her daughter for a moment.  _

  
  


_ “I’m sorry that we didn’t come to you before. You may have heard a few things about Laurie and me,” Amy decided to speak since it was her parents. “Some of them are true, most of them aren’t.” _

_ Her parents weren’t angry. How could they? Laurie was a great boy. Marmee would never force a confession from her daughters, but she expected them to come to her with things like this. But then Amy spoke and she sounded mature. How did her baby girl grow up so fast? _

  
  
  


Marmee always said, it is not your business what people say about you. She hated gossip and didn’t allow it in her house, especially if it was about one of them. But even she had to talk about this. 

“Jo, you were with Amy and Laurie in Boston?”

“Yes.”

“Did you ever see them together? Are they fighting?”

“Not that I know of.”

  
  
  
  


Mr. Laurence invited Amy to have lunch with them. He received the news of their relationship with as much joy as everyone else. He was thrilled. 

“So, Amy. Are you ready for graduation?”

“I am. I love Florence and it has been incredible to live there, but I am ready to come back.”

“I’m sure you’ll be going back to Europe often,” the old man smiled at her. “Laurie tells me you’ll end up the best of your class.”

“Is everything ok?” Asked Mr. Laurence as Amy went to the restroom.

“Of course,” Laurie snorted. 

“Ok, I’m going to make a few phone calls and go to a compromise with the people from the office. You’re fifty steps away from her parents, be careful.”

“We’ll watch a movie.”

The movie was on, but they were too invested in making out to pay attention to the plot. 

“God, I’ve been wanting to do this for days,” he kissed her neck. 

“I know. I hate that I have to go back after New Years'.”

They moved into Laurie’s room because Amy insisted on respecting his grandfather’s house. Laurie rolled his eyes and mentioned  _ I guess we drew the line at your Aunt’s library. _ But anyway, he followed her and pinned her to the door as he locked it. It was winter in Concord, which meant tons of snow and layers of clothes to get rid of. 

Four months was a long time, even with the sexts and long phone calls. Regardless, physical contact is necessary, no, it’s vital. 

A collection of moans and groans came out of the room. Luckily, no one was around, his grandfather let the staff enjoy the holidays with their families. 

“I’ll come to visit you on Spring holidays,” he said in a low voice as he massaged her clit. “We can spend time in the villa.”

“Sounds amazing,” she said, eyes closed. Too full of lust, with just enough to work on him. 

  
  


“What time do we have to be at Kate’s?”

“8 o’clock.”

“That leaves us with plenty of hours.”

“We can’t spend all day here. And now I need to take a shower. But we can go out in town.”

“A… A few friends are in town and they want to meet.”

“Is everything ok?”

“Of course. I’ll see you at Kate’s.”

  
  


How could someone go from telling you sweet things in Italian and getting you the best orgasms in your life, to distant in a matter of hours??

“Well you look handsome,” Amy saw Laurie arriving at Kate's party. She arrived before everyone else to help get everything ready. 

“You look beautiful too.” 

“Hey! You’re here!” Jo walked to them joyfully. Amy could feel Laurie getting anxious. “We’ll go get some punch.”

“I have to go find Flo,” her sisters made their way to the table. “Enjoy the party. I’ll find you later.”

“Sure,” he said, kissing her as quickly and unaffectionately as possible. 

  
  


“Hang on, what!?”

“He kissed me like I was his sister!”

“Ugg, I’m sorry, Amy,” Kate said with a concerned look. 

  
  


“Hey,” Amy found Laurie drinking alone in one of the sides of the house. “It’s freezing out here, why don’t you come inside.”

“It’s alright.”

“Did I do something wrong?”

“What?”

“I’m just asking, cause you’ve been distant since we got here. It’s like you don’t want me near you.”

“That’s not true.”

“You barely touch me!”

“I touch you.”

“Yeah, as long as there are walls keeping us apart from everybody else to see. You’re the one who brought up coming clean. Do you regret it?”

“What are you talking about!”

“Well then, tell me. Cause I’m trying to be calm and act like everything is alright when it clearly isn’t.”

“I should go.”

“No,” Amy said, almost desperately. “Stay, let’s talk about this. We said we wouldn’t let anything ruin this again, like last time. I don’t want to feel that again.”

  
  
  


The next morning, everyone went skating at the lake. Meg and John took the kids to start teaching them how to skate. It was an adorable image, John would take one of the twins and hold him, while Meg played with the other. Beth and Jo dragged Laurie into the lake to play some improvised game with other friends. Meanwhile, Amy stayed on a bench nearby. They didn’t even try to get her on the ice. Ever since she fell on frozen water at the age of twelve, Amy refused to get near. Sure, the conditions were different. Back then it was the end of winter, the last day to enjoy the frozen lake. Laurie warned Jo to be careful and stay on the shore. He had no idea Amy had followed them, even less that Jo was furious with her sister for burning her drafts. The whole situation was doomed. 

Now it was plain winter and the ice was as thick as it can get. Plenty of people were around in case anything happened. Regardless, Amy was still afraid and he couldn’t blame her. When he pulled her out of the water, she was shivering and crying. Back then, she was still clumsy at skating, so she never learned fully. 

She was fine, she brought her sketchbook. Her teachers were always eager to see the students' works during vacations, a source of inspiration for the rest of the semester. 

So, everyone was having fun.

After some time, Laurie looked at where Amy was sitting. He excused himself and went to her. 

“You scored!” She noticed. “I think, what were you playing?”

“Not sure,” he smiled as he sat and changed his shoes and sat beside her. Amy smiled at him, but then she went back to her sketch. He expected her to be mad, and she had a right to be. He argued back, but he knew what he was doing and that it was wrong. He gently put a strand of hair on the back of her ear.

“Come here,” he moved closer to embrace her. He kissed her cheek and stayed there for a moment. She didn’t know what to do. I mean, she liked it, it felt much more like their usual interactions. But why suddenly he decided to show affection in front of everyone? “I’m sorry. I love you.” She finally turned and kissed him.

Over in the lake, something happened. Meg gestured to her sisters to look at the scene in front. This was the first time they saw them together. Even Jo, she never got to see them so cozy, they were good at hiding. 

“Come on, girls,” Flo called them. She stood with them and saw the cute scene. “Oh, yeah.” she dismissed it. She had seen it before.

“They look so cute,” Beth mentioned. 

“Yeah, yeah. Spend a night in the room next door and we’ll talk.” Flo teased. 

“I can feel their eyes on us,” Amy said.

“Good. You want to walk.” She nodded. 

“Look, I’m really sorry about my stupid attitude these days.”

“What happened? I thought this was what you wanted?”

“It is. It really is. I...” he struggled. “I got so anxious. I saw them all and suddenly all those fears about them knowing made sense again. We were friends for so long and now they see us like a couple. I didn’t know how to behave with you around them. We used to be quite tactile, do you remember that? I was just trying to be cool and not make anyone uncomfortable. Seems like I achieved exactly the opposite. You are the first serious girlfriend they really know, definitely the first girl they see me spending time with. And everyone in this town… they really gossip about anything.”

“Ugh, I know. And I was fully aware of how strange this could be. You remember I was the one with the paranoia from the beginning? Luckily we just have to deal with it for the next few days and then next summer they will be used to it.”

  
  


“5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy New Year!” Everyone cheered and hugged. Laurie kissed Amy and people saw and everything was fine. She went back to finish her studies and he left to work in Boston. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like his chapter!
> 
> I love reading your comments :)


	18. Six months later (July, 2015)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn’t it funny how when you give up on, suddenly inspiration comes in! Seriously, I was going to publish this chapter with only 200 words.

**Nice, France**

Amy woke up feeling the sun coming from the window. Even from bed, she could see the sea. She felt Laurie’s arm holding her close, his breath on her neck. He definitely was spoiling her way too much. 

She missed her family, but she could wait if it meant spending weeks in Europe with her boyfriend. A few years ago, she might have been embarrassed and even feel patronized at Laurie’s willingness to spend money with her. But after much discussion and reflections, she understood that it was just generosity. Besides, she would never allow for ridiculous extravagances. Seriously, she was an art graduate earning a fair wage that allowed her to save some money. Besides, there was the possibility of increasing that once she got a full-time job and her artistic career took off. Graduating as the best of the class did help her get on people's radar. So there was no more pride interfering. Laurie was always going to be richer, hell, he was born in a golden crib and she had every right to enjoy it with him. As long as they knew their relationship was not sustained in economic status, but in trust, support, understanding, and love, they would be fine.

  
  


With a little difficulty, Amy turned to face her sleeping boyfriend. 

“Morning,” Laurie murmured against Amy’s mouth. “Oh, someone woke up with a lot of energy,” he said as Amy straddled him. 

“We don’t have much time left here, so… let’s make the best of it,” she said with a mischievous expression. 

  
  


Nice was one of the most beautiful places she’s ever been in. And the Museum of Fine Arts was stunning. But what she loved the most was going to Valrosa. She adored going to the university to visit the castle. 

The first time she went there, she was so marveled by the landscape she said out loud “this is a perfect honeymoon paradise.” Her voice was low but he heard her. She instantly realized what she just said and implied and low key panicked. “I mean… I’m not saying…”

“No,” he said maybe too quickly. “Not now,” he was also quick to fix it. “I think we should talk about this.”

“Yeah,” she smiled back.

They agreed not to rush anything. First things first. 

“So… have you decided what to do once you’re back home?” Laurie asked hesitantly. 

“I’m looking at a few museums, but one of them is my favorite.”

“Which is?...”

“The Boston Museum of Fine Arts.”

“Really?”

“I already sent them my resume. Are you surprised?”

“Relieved.”

“Well, I have loved that museum since I was a child. And I want to be with you.”

“Who’s moving around just to be close now? Eh?” he raised his eyebrows playfully.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“I am,” he admitted shamelessly. She rolled her eyes but still kissed him. “We could transform the spare room into your studio.”

“And send Jo to the sofa every time she visits? She will hate us. What if she comes with Friedrich?”

“Please, I’ve seen her sleeping on the floor, snoring like crazy. She has the heaviest sleep ever. If anything, we need to worry about Friedrich’s rest.” Amy raised an eyebrow. ”I’ll pay them a nice hotel.” She laughed. “It serves her for not knocking ever!” It’s true, they love Jo. But the girl knew no boundaries. Sooner or later, she was going to come across a very compromising situation. 

_ Jo was able to visit Amy and Laurie when they were in Berlin. Friedrich and she went on vacation, although they were not as long nor elegant as the other couple’s. They went to a small town in Germany and met his nephews. When they coincide in the capital, Laurie insisted on them staying in the hotel.  _

_ “Oh my god!” Jo shouted when she opened the door.  _

_ “Ahh” “Jo!” Amy buried her face under the pillow.  _

_ “What the fuck!” Jo said turning around.  _

_ “You said you were going to see the city.” Laurie protested, trying to pull the sheet over them.  _

_ “Yeah well. Friedrich got a call from a friend and he went to meet him. I came to see if you wanted to do something...” _

_ “I’m sorry… emm… we’ll get dressed...” _

_ “No, no. You stay there… you seem busy, Amy,” Jo said looking at the ceiling. “I’ll… I’ll just go. I’ll go to the library… yeah, see you.” _

_ “I’m sorry!” Amy shouted. “Don’t tell Meg and Beth!” _

_ “You know that cute sign that says ‘do not disturb’, you might want to use it more often,” Jo said before leaving. Laurie threw her the other pillow. “Ahhh!” _

_ “I can’t believe that just happened,” Amy said, containing her laugh and embarrassment. _

_ “Come on, you trick me once into walking on Meg and John!” _

_ “They were being so quiet!” She excused herself.  _

“That was fun,” she smirked. “She was mortified.”

“She couldn’t look at us at dinner.”

“I always liked the idea of going to work somewhere else from home. At least until… a child comes into the picture. I want to have children.”

“Me too.” She smiled widely at his reply. 

“I also want to take care of them as Marmee did for us. So maybe then, I’ll move to work at home.”

“Whatever you decide.” 

They ended up eloping. Because they had been dating for four years straight. They had their fights, but it never reached another breakup. Both were highly aware of the pain that came with them and worked their way into a peaceful resolution. Their jobs kept them quite busy, which was great but it also left a wedding far behind their priorities. 

So one day in Switzerland, Laurie proposed to her. Of course, she said yes. Months passed and they didn’t do much wedding planning. Quite honestly, Amy and Laurie didn’t mind. Technically they’ve been married for a few years, they just needed to make it legal. However, people started talking. Was she having doubts? Or was he? The family also got worried, not really worried, more anxious than anything. That made Amy anxious too.

“Let’s be married!”

“Are you proposing to me again? Cause I think a year would be kind of the expiration date for any proposal… though Meg was engaged for three years...” she rambled.

“I mean here, now.”

“What?!”

“We have the license and it's expiring in like two weeks...”

“You want to elope?”

“You think your family will be mad?”

“No… I mean, they have been stressing out about the preparations. They’ve been driving me crazy… But, no. They’re happy about the marriage.”

“Then let’s do it!”

“Ok!”

No one was angry, only surprised. Mr. Laurence did throw a big party to show off his grandson and his new daughter-in-law. 

  
  


They only had one child, a beautiful girl named Bess. Amy wanted to wait until she was thirty, something about enjoying her twenties. But even then, nothing happened. It took them three years and a few painful experiences. But at last, they got the family they always dreamed of. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's over!!!
> 
> I can't thank you all enough for reading, commenting, sending kudos, subscribing, and bookmarking. Truly, it meant the world to me. 
> 
> I'm still thinking of doing a series of one-shots, as a prequel to showcase Laurie and Amy's friendship, but also funny moments from their youth with the rest of the family.


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